Changes
by Mourning Star under the Moon
Summary: There are too many questions, and not enough answers, especially when you've got amnesia. A certain turtle wakes up and finds that not all is as it seems, particularly when a strange girl insists that they need to escape. Please R&R! Rated T just in case.
1. Ch 1 Rude Awakening

**Hello all! So this story... well, you'll have to read it to find out what's going on - I'll say more at the end. This is just an idea that popped into my head and demanded to be written... quite honestly, I'm interested in seeing where this idea leads. Plot is pending further deliberations.**

**_Disclaimer: I only own my OC - that's one character (and her family), folks! I own nothing else! NOTHING! See author's notes at the bottom for further discussions concerning my OC._**

**EDIT: I changed one thing in this chapter (two words) upon choosing a better nickname for my OC._  
_**

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**Ch 1, Rude Awakening**

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His whole body ached, and his head pounded. He couldn't remember much, which suddenly worried him greatly.

Just as he was about to puzzle out who he was, he felt a hand slap his face. "C'mon, wake up," a voice whispered urgently. It was female, and she sounded almost panicked. "Please wake up," she pleaded with him as she gently slapped his face again.

He blinked his eyes open, staring at the Japanese-appearing girl standing above him. He didn't recognize her, but considering he couldn't even remember his own _name_, he wasn't going to complain. She didn't seem to mean him harm, anyway. She had odd, red highlights in her otherwise straight black hair, which made him wonder if they were artificial. Her eyes were grey, also unusual for someone of Japanese descent, but her facial structure definitely rang true.

"Oh, thank God," she sighed in relief as she spotted his open eyes, her hand stopping short of his face for what he guessed would've been another gentle slap.

"Wha… what happ'n'd?" he croaked, his throat and mouth dry. How long had it been since he had last spoken? Or had anything to drink for that matter?

"I don't know – help is on the way though, if that crash meant anything," she grimaced. "But we can work on that later – how do you feel? We're going to need to escape out of here soon."

He pushed himself up on the – medical bed? Where the shell was he? Suddenly he had to know what was going on, and only the fact that the girl already said she didn't know kept him from demanding answers. He realized there were three others here as well, all guys wearing only shorts. He looked down and realized that he, too, was only wearing shorts. At least the girl was still wearing all of her clothes.

"I… okay," he croaked again, answering her question. He tried to stand up and nearly fell instead. The girl caught him before he could take a nosedive onto the ground, though. "Thanks," he whispered.

"They must've caught you long before they caught me," she frowned at him. "Can you even stand?"

He could, but just barely. His legs shook as he stood on his own. "This isn't good," he muttered, ignoring the dry feeling in his throat as he said those words.

Before she could reply to that, there were shouts from right outside the room they were all in. The girl looked at the door worriedly before it was suddenly kicked in. "Logan!" she cried in relief as a burly man entered the room, looking ready to kill. He looked relieved at spotting the girl, although he didn't seem to recognize the other four in the room.

_So I guess this means I _don't_ know her, but I'm _pretty_ sure I'd rather go with her and this guy then stay here,_ the confused teenager decided.

"You okay, Mule?" the man, Logan demanded of the girl.

"I'm fine – I'm more worried about the rest of the people here," she answered worriedly, looking at the guy she was standing next to. "I'm not leaving them behind," she added firmly, her jaw set.

Logan growled. "Fine," he said, much to both teenagers' relief. "You're gonna hafta help, though. Can you walk, kid?" he directed that question at the boy.

"Maybe," he croaked, wishing he could find something to drink in this place before the six of them bailed.

Logan's eyes darted to the girl. "Mule?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll make sure we get out," she told him determinedly. "Listen," she turned to him with an urgent look on her face. "I'm telekinetic – I can make sure you don't fall over or anything, but you're going to have to do most of the running yourself. Do you think you can manage that?"

Telekinetic? How was that possible? He blinked several times, before he realized that there was a better time and place to ask those questions. "I think so," he managed to get out.

"Good," she sighed with relief, and carefully picked up the smallest of the three unconscious teenagers. Logan had already hoisted the other two onto his shoulders. "Lead the way," she told Logan, indicating for the other boy to follow Logan.

It was hard work. A couple of times, he almost fell over or collapsed entirely. Only a strange, invisible force kept him from falling, and he once shot a look over his shoulder at the girl, whose face was pinched with concentration. The few times people came running at them, they went flying away from them.

They got outside, and the boy blinked at the apparent fog that was surrounding them. "This way!" Logan shouted, dashing into the fog. The boy almost didn't follow him, and was startled when he was 'pushed' to continue. He stumbled, suddenly unable to move any longer. His muscles had atrophied way too much, and he couldn't continue.

"I can't…" he told her, panting hard. He suddenly found himself floating after her as she dashed in the direction Logan had gone. It didn't take long to get to the vehicle they would use to escape by, and only the cover of the fog had kept anyone from realizing it was there except for Logan, who had led them there.

Logan suddenly appeared right next to them and grabbed the boy floating in the air. The girl shot him a look of gratitude as she ran up the steps with the other teenager. He was too embarrassed to ask Logan any questions as the man hurried up the steps into the jet. The three others were all strapped into medical beds for the trip, and the girl was slumped in a chair, panting hard.

Logan sat him next to her. "'Ro, get us outta here," he growled as he headed into the cockpit, the hanger door closing behind him.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked the girl, concerned, mentally wincing at the sound of his voice.

"Just… tired," she managed. "I'm not used to doing rescue work like that. Logan? Can you get him some water?" she called. "I'd get it if I wasn't so exhausted!"

The man snickered as he brought a bottled-water back. "_Now_ will you listen to me when I tell you yah need to exercise yer telekinesis more?" he snorted at her, handing the bottle of water to the boy. He broke open the bottle and nearly started to guzzle it down before he remembered that that wasn't the best idea, especially considering he didn't know how long he had been there.

"All right, all right," she sighed. "I get it – now get us home." Logan snorted, shook his head, and headed back into the cockpit. "Sorry about not introducing myself – I'm Hitomi Weber. You are?"

He paused as he struggled to remember, and suddenly his name came to him. "I'm Donatello Hamato."

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**Author's Notes:**

Okay, first off, this is not AU - well, it will be once we get into the rest of the seasons, but it's not AU right _now, if you know what I mean_. Basically, this takes place sometime in the middle of season two of both X-men: Evolution and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I have several reasons for both of these choices. Season 2 of X-men Evo has Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy, who will play an integral part fairly soon. As for TMNT, I wanted it to be after the turtles learned their secret origin, but before the start of season 3. (I did consider putting this between seasons 2 and 3, but I felt it would work out better if this occurs in the middle of the season rather at the end.) The exact placement in the episodes has not been determined as of now, but don't worry, I'm working on it.

Now, I'm sure you are all wondering what is going on. It's clear that the main character for this chapter is Donatello, but why does it seem he is human, you might ask? Well! That's a mystery, and one that this story will eventually solve, so don't worry, it will be addressed.

My OC - I write better with an OC, to be honest, but I promise to keep the number of OCs in this story limited to just Hitomi Weber unless I feel I _absolutely need _someone else that isn't already in the Marvel Universe. Hitomi's story will be told at one point, let me assure you of that. If anyone wants to use her in a story, I have a basic rule - ask me for permission first, and give me credit when you write the story. I'm pretty easygoing, and I promise I'm willing to share any OC anyone takes a liking to. (As a side note, her name is pronounced Hi-toe-mi, with very short vowel sounds. As a general rule of thumb, all Japanese names are pronounced with short vowel sounds unless it has a stress mark over the vowel.)

If you come upon this story either knowing just TMNT or just X-men: Evolution, don't worry, I plan on carefully introducing each character as though no one has ever met them before. That being said, please let me know if you're confused about anything in this chapter. There are a lot of things I left out, on purpose mind, that I could explain without giving away too much of the story.

I now have a forum thread in my Corner just for this story. Please pop by and ask questions, make comments or suggestions, or just come to chat.

Finally, please **review**! I enjoy writing stories, but I become discouraged if I don't get reviews telling me that people want to read more of the story. Even if it's a short, 'please continue' review, I will be happy, because that means people are reading my story and are interested in seeing it continue. So please remember to review!!!

**~Star~**


	2. Ch 2 Memories

**Hello everyone! I want to thank my three reviewers, TMNTxKreativ-tankex16.'D, toxic-dreamer-2, and blueraven, for their reviews. They encouraged me to update this a little sooner than I had planned.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the plot and Hitomi Weber.**

**In addition, I want to mention that I changed a single detail in the last chapter to correspond to an important development in Hitomi's character development. Put simply, I wasn't positive on Logan's nickname for Hitomi until recently, and I now have a better nickname for her. (It's now Mule, in case anyone's curious.)**

**That's all for now! Please enjoy!**

**Ch 2, Memory**

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"It's nice to meet you, Donatello," Hitomi smiled tiredly at him, and he knew how she felt. "Nice name – isn't Donatello the famous sculptor? From the Renaissance?"

"Yes, it is," Donatello smiled. He knew his name – that was a good start for his memories. Or at least it was better than nothing. Shell, what happened to him that made him forget his memories? "I like you're name, too, but isn't Weber not a traditional Japanese name?"

"No, it's not," Hitomi laughed. "Mom had a traditional Japanese name, but she gave it up when she married my Dad. I'm the product of two cultures, and I'm proud of it! I notice _you_ have a Japanese last name, yet you're named after a famous sculptor from the European Renaissance."

"Touché," he grinned, liking her already. He definitely didn't know her before, but he wasn't about to let a new potential friend just vanish. His family didn't have that many to begin with.

He frowned at that. What happened to his family? Were the other teenagers related to him? Damn, not remembering wasn't fun at all.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hitomi inquired worriedly. "What's wrong, Donatello?"

"I… I don't remember much," he admitted to her, rubbing his forehead. He had meant to hide that from her as long as possible, but now it didn't seem that important. "And call me Don or Donnie – Donatello's too much of a mouthful to use all the time."

"Then you can call me Tomi," she told him with a grin that quickly faded. "I'm sorry about your memories… Maybe it was the sedatives – some people have bad reactions to them. It could be temporary," she insisted.

_An optimist._ However, Donatello tended to be too realistic to always look at just the optimistic side of things. "And if I don't? I know I have to have a family out there, but I just don't know _where_ they are," Donnie grumbled. "I don't even know where I'm from."

"At least you have a place to start," Tomi offered. "You remembered your name, and that's something. And maybe when these guys way up, they'll have an idea of what's going on, and who you are. Think positively, Don! That's half the battle. Anyways, do you remember what you're Dad looks like?"

Like a sudden light had been turned on, Donatello's mind was flooded with images and memories. His father – of course! Master Splinter! Only he wasn't normal – he was a mutated rat, but that didn't matter. He and his brothers were all mutants, except Donnie and his brothers had mutated from turtles rather than rats. He had three brothers – Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo.

All this came flooding back, and Donnie gasped as he stared down at his hands on his knees. "What the… shell?" he whispered, lifting up his hands to stare at them. Something was seriously wrong – he had pale, Caucasian-colored skin and five fingers, radically different from the olive-green skin and three fingers he was used to.

"Donnie? What's wrong?" Tomi asked worriedly, putting a hand on his shoulder as he continued to stare at his hands, shock and horror written clearly across his features. When her voice got no response, she shook his shoulder gently. "Talk to me – what's wrong?"

Coming out of his shock, he stared at Tomi, wondering if she knew what had happened to him. "I…" how could he say what happened to him? Would she believe him? Or would she think he was completely insane? Then he remembered – she had used _telekinesis_ to move him – that wasn't normal, either, not as far as he knew. "I remembered…" he broke off, unsure if he should tell her.

"Normally, I'd say that's a good thing, but the look on your face tells me otherwise," Tomi told him shrewdly. "And considering the way you're staring at your hands, I'd wager something changed your appearance. Listen – the place we're going to, _no one_ is normal, although most of us _appear_ normal," she added urgently. "Please, tell me – what did they do to you?"

_She's right – whoever had me _must've_ done something to me that… altered my appearance. How did they do that? And more importantly – _why? Donnie realized. He took a deep, shuddering breath as he ran a hand through his hair. _Shell, I have _hair…_ this is just _too_ weird…_ "I… I'm a… turtle," he whispered, still unsure she would believe him. "Or rather, a _mutated_ turtle…"

"Wait, you were _mutated?_" she stared in shock at him. "I mean, I know _I'm_ a mutant, but the way you say it, it sounds like you weren't _born_ this way…"

That particular statement made Donnie want to question her, but he had to finish his own story. At least her words gave him the confidence he needed – particularly since she said that _she_ was a mutant. "No… none of my family were born this way… or rather, _that_ way… anyways, that's a long story," he managed, trying a half-smile.

"Then you can tell us all later," Tomi waved that away. She frowned as she looked at him. "So you must've been fairly human-like to begin with – not _human_ per se, but kinda a cross between a turtle and a human?" she inquired, obviously trying to picture it.

"Yes, exactly," Donnie nodded, relieved that she was able to piece together what was rather difficult to explain. "I… don't know why I didn't realize something was wrong right away…"

"That's so strange… Why would they do that? And who were they?" she frowned. "Damn people… Why do they always have to _mess_ with us?"

That stunned him. Even though he wasn't a mutant like her, she was _including_ him in that statement. "Who… else had…" Donnie trailed off, trying to think of the right way to phrase his question.

"There's two that I know of – but we don't know what happened to one of them, and I'd rather not tell you who they both are," Tomi admitted shyly. "In part because I think they deserve the option of keeping quiet."

"We're here," Logan told them as he came back. "So what's this I hear about you being mutated from a turtle?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You… _heard_ that?" Donnie asked the man, stunned.

Logan snorted. "Kid, I have _really_ good senses," he told him with a slight smirk. "I heard yer entire conversation."

"Oh…" Donnie blinked dazedly before he recalled that Logan had asked him a question. "Yeah… I am… or rather…" he looked at his hands again. "I was," he whispered.

"That explains the strange smell," Logan nodded thoughtfully. "It's kinda hard tah explain," he rolled his eyes as Donnie looked up at him. "All I can say is that there's somethin' about all _four_ of yah that just… smelled off," he added, jerking his thumb at the other three occupants. "You got some brothers yah neglected tah mention?"

Donnie stared at the three of them, stunned. Those… _human_-looking teenagers… were his brothers? "Yeah… three of them…" he murmured, his gaze riveted on them. Was it possible?

Well, considering his last memory of being a turtle involved being ambushed by some people that he and his brothers hadn't recognized certainly indicated that he hadn't been taken _alone_, so that left only one _real _possibility, didn't it? _Shell, no one's going to like this at all,_ Donnie grimaced.

"At least you're all safe now," Tomi murmured back, and he looked at her. He had to nod his agreement.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Thanks."

"Yeah, well, Mule wouldn't've let me leave yah, and Chuck's rather glad we did, too," Logan shrugged. "And Chuck says that you are _all_ going down to the Infirmary tah get checked over. And yes, Mule, that includes _you._"

She sighed. "Great," she grimaced as she stood up. "At least I'm not so tired now. Not that I'm going to _carry_ anyone down there," she glared at Logan.

"That's fine, Mule. Just make sure _he_ doesn't fall over, and we'll take care of the others," Logan told her, pointing at Donnie before he turned and picked up only one of the three boys as the hatch opened.

Donnie stared at the blue-furred man who walked up the steps. "Greetings," the man had noticed Donnie's gaze and gave him a fanged smile. His appearance was more of a gorilla than a man, which stunned Donnie simply because he had never seen someone look like that, and this was coming from someone whose Sensei was a mutated rat. "My name is Dr. Hank McCoy – I'm sorry if my appearance startles you."

"No, it's fine – I just... wasn't expecting…" Donnie fumbled for words again.

"Dr. McCoy, this is Donatello Hamato – he's suffering from a bizarre appearance change," Tomi piped up. "We'll explain further down in the Infirmary – or Logan can explain on his way. C'mon, Don." With that, she dragged the turtle-turned-human down the steps as a teenage girl with brilliantly red hair also walked up.

"Sorry – I should have realized that they'd ask Dr. McCoy to help out," she told him as the two walked out of the hanger that the jet had been parked in and down a corridor. Donnie was glad she knew where she was going – he certainly didn't! "I know you said you were mutated from a turtle and all, but Dr. McCoy _still_ looks strange even if you're used to this sort of thing," she continued. "There's another student here, Kurt Wagner, who has a unique appearance. His appearance is actually more exotic than Dr. McCoy's."

Donnie blinked in surprise before he staggered, and he was suddenly grateful that Tomi hadn't let go of his arm. He was a lot more fatigued than he thought he had been, and only her support was keeping him upright. "They must terrify new students," he commented softly.

"Oh, normally we warn new students," Tomi chuckled. "I just didn't think…" she sighed as she pushed open a door. "At least it's not too far from the X-Jet hanger," she muttered as the two staggered towards a bed.

"X-Jet?" Donnie frowned at her as he carefully heaved himself onto the bed.

"Yeah – that's what we call our jet. Just like the oldest team of students is called the 'X-men,' I suppose," she shrugged as she moved towards another bed, not far from his. "I forgot to mention – we're at Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters."

Don's eyes went round. He had heard about the place, and had wished once or twice he could go. _Well, now I'm here, free of charge… at least for now,_ he amended. "It's a school for mutants?" he inquired tiredly, the fatigue he had been feeling catching up to him.

"Yeah," Tomi grinned at him. "We get," she yawned, "training in our powers and self defense. So when everyone knows about mutants, we'll be ready to keep the peace."

Before Donnie could think of a reply to that, the door opened and one of the others floated through. He stared as the red-head followed him through and set him on another bed. "Hey, Tomi, are you okay?" the red-head inquired as she turned towards them.

"I'm _fine_, Jean, just tired. I'm not as good as you are with my TK yet, and just," Tomi yawned again, "a little tired," she finished honestly. "They underestimated me and gave me a rather weak sedative," she added in explanation. "Jean, this is Donatello Hamato. Donnie, this is Jean Grey."

"It's nice to meet you, Donnie," Jean smiled at him as Logan and Dr. McCoy entered the room carrying the other two. Don was still floored that they might be his brothers, but then, it _would_ make logical sense, if they had all been captured.

"Same here," Donnie grinned weakly at her before he yawned himself.

"Well, I've got homework to get started on – I'll talk to you later, Tomi," Jean told the other girl before she left.

"Now, Logan has told me a little of your situation, Donatello," Dr. McCoy walked over to the turtle-turned-human as Logan left the room. "I am actually surprised you are awake, considering the others are still asleep."

"That's my fault, Dr. McCoy," Tomi interjected. "When I first freed myself, I decided that I needed to wake everyone else up. If Logan hadn't arrived after I had put some of my blood into Donnie, I would've done the same to the others."

"Ah, that would explain it," Dr. McCoy nodded agreement. "Tomi's blood retains its healing properties for a short time after it is introduced into someone else's bloodstream," he explained to Donnie. "I suspect that Logan's would as well, although he has yet to try it. In this case, it appears that her blood was able to help wear the sedative given to you off quicker."

"Whoa," Donnie blinked, surprised. "That's… amazing," he added, glancing at Tomi, who shrugged.

"Now, I'd like to examine you're DNA – I may be able to piece together what has happened to you," Dr. McCoy told him calmly. "With your permission, of course. In the meantime, I will give the others – who may or may not be your brothers – an IV with some fluids. Also, I would suggest you _both _get some sleep," he added, looking pointedly at Tomi. "The restroom is right there if you need it," he added for Donnie's benefit, pointing at the appropriate door.

"Are you a geneticist?" Donnie had to know, curious. "And how did you get a doctorate if you look like… that?"

Dr. McCoy chuckled. "Yes, I am a geneticist as well as a chemist, and not so long ago, I appeared human. I had been struggling with my mutation for many years, and recently lost control over it," he answered Donnie's questions, quite undisturbed by the second question, much to the turtle-turned-human's relief.

A thousand questions began to race through Donnie's head, but he realized that the best thing for him right now was to do as Dr. McCoy ordered, and get some rest. However, he had _one_ thing he had to say before he agreed to do as requested. "If you think you can figure out what happened to me… us… then I don't see how it could hurt," he agreed cautiously. He was nervous about what a 'sample' meant.

When he saw what Dr. McCoy pulled out, he had to bite back a sigh of relief. He held a mouth swab – a simple, painless, non-invasive way to take a sample of someone's DNA. Donnie watched as Dr. McCoy carefully inserted an IV into the three teenagers before he reissued his suggestion for both of them to go to sleep and went through another door.

"You shouldn't worry so much," Tomi told him quietly, brushing her hair behind one ear as she pulled up the covers. "_I_ wouldn't bring you somewhere that wasn't safe," she added even more softly. "I trust everyone here."

And for some reason, Donnie knew he could trust Tomi. She had worked hard to wake him up, and if her teacher hadn't shown up, he had the feeling she would have worked to wake up his brothers as well. If they _were_ his brothers, that is. From what he could tell, she had overexerted herself in getting himself and one of the others to the X-Jet. That meant a lot in his book.

"It's habit," he explained instead of saying any of that. "We – my family and I – always worry about scientists, because of what we… what I was," he tried to explain, glancing down at his human body.

"That would make sense," she agreed with a smile. "But here, you're in the company of mutants, and don't have to worry about that, at least while you're here."

"I still can't believe that you're a mutant," he had to shake his head at that statement. "I mean, I never would have thought that about you if you hadn't told me."

Tomi laughed. "Trust me, it's not that strange. Mutants like me are a lot more common than mutants like Dr. McCoy and Kurt," she told him cheerfully, smothering another yawn. "I'm more fascinated by _you_ and the fact that you didn't originate as a 'mutant' in the way that we all understand. I mean, you started as normal turtles, were exposed to…"

"Chemicals – a canister of ooze, to be precise," Donnie supplied.

"Exactly – that mutated you into being more human-like, and now… whatever else happened to you," she finished. "That's fascinating – and disturbing, to be honest."

"I have to agree with that statement," Donnie sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before he yawned. "I think we should listen to Doctor's orders and go to bed," he added before he covered another yawn.

"Sounds good to me," Tomi grinned before she turned over. "G'night."

* * *

I'm planning on posting the next chapter sometime next week, probably on the weekend again, but I also have some projects and tests over the next week that are going to take up my time, and need to be higher on my list of priorities. In short, I'm _planning _on posting next weekend, but I might have to delay it... it also will depend on if I get any reviews. I'm more likely to try to get the next chapter out next weekend if I get some reviews, so please **review**!

That's all from me for now.

**~Star~**


	3. Ch 3 Light Sleeper

Greetings! As it turned out, all of my really stressful schoolwork ended up being towards the beginning of the week, which gave me enough time to create this chapter! And thank you to my three reviewers, and especially my repeat reviewer, TMNTxKreativ! Your reviews were great, and I very much appreciated them. Anon Crewmember, sorry, I thought I said which TMNT-verse this was - apparently not! It's the 2003 cartoon. And as for my other anonymous reviewer - it hasn't come up yet because Don's got a lot of other things on his mind, plus the fact that he actually _can't _kick butt right now - all four of them are going to be suffering from muscle disuse atrophy for a while - it's not permanent, it just takes a while to rebuild muscles. I'm planning on skipping ahead a few weeks at one point, but not until the guys are established at the Institute.

I'd like to mention a few specifics on the turtle-verse I'm using - I'm modifying it slightly - but I'll do that at the end.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the turtles or the X-men - I just own Hitomi Weber (and her associated family, but they won't have much part in this).

**Ch 3 Light Sleeper**

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Hitomi woke to a light moaning. She was a light sleeper by most standards, and only could just deal with living in the dorms. Despite the fact the fact that she normally woke up alert and ready for the day, she just didn't want to wake up just yet. She tried to ignore whoever moaned, only to have them moan again. Tomi sighed as she sat up in the hospital bed she fell asleep in, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

As the waking person muttered distractedly, something about Batman, Tomi slipped out of the bed and moved towards him. When he whimpered, she hastened her steps and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, wake up," she whispered as she gently shook his shoulder. Bright blue eyes blinked open at her actions before he let out a shriek of shock and knocked her back.

"Whoa! It's okay!" she protested as she deliberately backed off, holding up her hands as he stood up and shifted into a defensive position. "You were having a nightmare – I wasn't trying to hurt you," she told him as he blinked sleep out of his eyes.

She heard a door open behind her and saw shock on the boy's features. "Dude, did you realize you look like a blue gorilla?" the boy asked in surprise, his voice slightly scratchy sounding.

Tomi heard Dr. McCoy chuckle. "It is difficult to mistake my appearance for any other creature," he agreed good-naturedly. "If I might suggest, you might want to sit down. You are trembling."

Tomi moved out of his way as Dr. McCoy moved to help the teenager back onto the bed. "Um… who are you?" he asked, looking between the blue-furred man and Tomi.

Before either of them could answer, another light groan was heard. "Can't a turtle get some sleep around here?" Donnie mumbled, still half asleep.

"Donnie?" the boy blinked in surprise as he looked at the bed in which Donatello had fallen asleep in. Considering the fact that his original appearance must be radically different from what he looked like now, Tomi couldn't blame the boy for being surprised.

"Mikey?" Donnie inquired, a little more awake than before, as he turned over in his bed.

_So they _are_ his brothers – thank God I insisted we bring all four of them,_ Tomi noted carefully as shock crossed over 'Mikey's' face.

"D-donnie? Is that you?" Mikey stared at the human that was, undeniably in Tomi's mind, his brother. "You don't…" the teenager swallowed hard.

"Yeah, it's me, Mikey," Donnie gave his brother a shy grin. "I can't really explain... _this,_" he added, indicating his appearance. "But… I'm not the only one, Mikey."

"W-what do you mean?" Mikey spluttered, looking around and seeing the other two unconscious boys in the room.

"We're _pretty_ sure that all four of you were somehow turned… human," Tomi offered shyly.

"Wha – _me?"_ Mikey blanched, and looked down. "What the shell?!" he gasped, staring at his human body. "How? Why?"

"I wish we could tell you," Dr. McCoy put in honestly. "Unfortunately, it was only though Hitomi here that we discovered you and your brothers and were able to rescue you," he continued, putting a gentle hand on Tomi's shoulder. "Other than where you were, we have very little idea on what happened to you. I am running a DNA analysis as we speak to see if I can determine _what_ happened to you, but as to the how and why, I am at a loss. By the way, my name is Dr. Hank McCoy."

When Mikey didn't instantly respond, too stunned to realize that Dr. McCoy had introduced himself, Donnie introduced Mikey to him. "His full name's Michelangelo, but most of us call him Mikey," Donnie told him as he carefully stood up.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Michelangelo," Dr. McCoy greeted pleasantly, moving towards the still-stunned boy. "I would like to remove the IV, since you do not need it now."

"Huh?" Mikey blinked as both Donnie and Dr. McCoy converged on him from different sides. He looked down at his right arm and grimaced. "This is too much to take in, dudes," he muttered under his breath as he stared at his hands.

"It's okay, Mikey – trust me, bro, I _know_ how you must be feeling. It's a lot to take in," Donnie reassured his brother as he braced himself on the side of Mikey's bed. "At least we're out of wherever we were, and away from whoever did this to us."

"Professor Charles Xavier, the founder and headmaster of this school, is working to get to the bottom of that particular mystery," Dr. McCoy offered as he removed the IV needle from Mikey's arm. "As I am working towards figuring out what exactly happened to your DNA."

"So… how come you look like… a blue gorilla?" Mikey asked Dr. McCoy as he put a band-aid on the spot where the IV needle had been in.

Dr. McCoy chuckled. "Unlike you and your family, the mutants who live in this school are born with genetic mutations. It was only recently that my appearance changed into what you now see," Dr. McCoy answered simply. "Now, how are you feeling?"

"Thirsty… and hungry," Mikey grinned as his stomach rumbled.

Dr. McCoy chuckled again. "I am told that another teacher here, Ororo Monroe, will be bringing down breakfast for anyone who is awake here shortly. Hitomi, would you fetch him a glass of water?" he directed the question at Tomi.

Tomi nodded and hurried over to the sink that they had just for that requirement. She handed the glass of water to Mikey who took it with a grin and began to guzzle it down. "Slow down, Mikey," Donnie protested, pulling the glass away from his brother. "You're going to put stress on yourself if you drink too much too fast."

"Sorry, bro," Mikey grinned sheepishly at Donnie, his voice sounding less scratchy than before.

"Just be careful, chucklehead," Donnie grinned back at his brother, handing the glass back to him. "Scoot over – I need to sit down, and it takes too much effort to get over to the other bed."

"How long were we… captured?" Mikey wanted to know as he moved over so that his big brother could sit on the bed.

"I'm not sure… what day is it?" Donnie inquired, looking between Tomi and Dr. McCoy.

"September 10th, 2005," Dr. McCoy answered simply, noting the surprise on both teenagers' faces. "I take it you have been missing for a while," he added calmly. _Considering what's happened to them, it would make sense,_ he added silently.

"That makes it about three months since we were last home," Donnie frowned. _And it explains why I've been feeling fairly weak – despite being ninjas, not even _we_ can escape the atrophy that occurs during three months of inactivity,_ he reasoned, grimacing. "Shell, that's really not good…"

"It would make sense, however," Dr. McCoy put in thoughtfully. "If you'll excuse me for saying so, changing your physical form in the way that it has been takes a while to perfect if it is done chemically. The particular changes that you have noticed are quite extreme, which leads me to believe that they must have spent some time studying the best way to alter your physical forms. Once my DNA analysis is complete, I will have a better idea of what exactly has transpired."

Mikey stared uncertainly at Dr. McCoy as Donnie nodded his understanding. "Sadly, that's all too true," he sighed. Noting the look on his brother's face, he shook his head and tried to simplify. "Basically, it would take someone a lot to be able to change our appearance to get us looking human, Mikey. They had to have studied our DNA in order to get an idea on what exactly to do to change us."

"Oh, okay," Mikey nodded, understanding on his face. Tomi interpreted the expression on Mikey's face to indicate that while he was a little uncomfortable with a stranger doing a DNA analysis, he trusted Donnie to make the right decision in this regard.

Before any of them could say anything further, the door to the infirmary opened up. Ororo Monroe stepped through the door, carrying a tray that held a big bowl of scrambled eggs as well as five plates and forks. "Ah, good, I see another one of our guests is awake," Ororo noted with a serene smile. "I hope you are all hungry," she added as she moved towards the bed that the four people were crowded around.

"Dude, I could eat a horse, I'm so hungry," Mikey grinned at her.

"I would be careful not to take in so much food, Michelangelo," Dr. McCoy suggested with a smile. "Considering you cannot recall the last meal that you had, your stomach may not be able to handle too much food all at once. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to the lab."

"How are all of you feeling this morning?" Ororo inquired as she set the tray on the bed, pulling a stand closer for them. Tomi hesitated a moment before she sat on the end of the bed as well, guessing that they would want her to stick around, since Donnie seemed to trust her.

"A little better than last night," Donnie admitted as he reached for one of the plates. "I don't think I caught your name, though," he added before anyone else could answer.

"Forgive me, I was a little distracted by finding Michelangelo awake as well," Ororo smiled at them. "My name is Ororo Monroe, and although I did not see you last night, I was the pilot that brought you here."

"_Pilot?_ We flew in a helicopter or something?" Mikey's eyes lit up at that statement, a grin breaking out on his face as he put a little bit of the food on his plate.

"A jet, to be precise," Ororo's lips curved again, amused already by the teenager. "And how are you?"

"Not bad, considering that I…" and he suddenly faltered.

"He's going through the same disorientation that I am. Mikey's my little brother – which probably means that those two are our older brothers, Leonardo and Raphael," Donnie put in for his little brother, knowing exactly what Mikey had been about to say and why he stopped saying it.

"Ah, yes, I suppose that feeling disoriented _would_ make sense," Ororo agreed calmly. "And you, Hitomi?"

"I'm _fine_, Storm," she grinned up at her teacher. "I just needed some rest – and probably tomorrow I'm going to start doing some TK weight-lifting training…"

"Don't tax yourself too much, Hitomi," Ororo gently reprimanded the girl. "If you think you need another day of recovery, you shouldn't hesitate to give it to yourself. As it is, Logan wants me to tell you that you are excused from morning training sessions for the next three days."

"Cool! I'll be able to sleep in for once!" Hitomi grinned before she laughed at her own folly. "If I can sleep through the alarm clocks, that is!"

"That's not too hard," Mikey grinned at her.

"Have you ever woken up to an alarm clock that was shut off by fireworks?" Tomi inquired, lifting an eyebrow at him.

"Uh… I didn't think that someone would do that," Mikey blinked at her in surprise. "Could I try?" he asked hopefully, looking between her and Donnie, who suddenly looked horrified.

Ororo shook her head. "No, Mikey – that's too dangerous," he told his brother sternly. "Besides, I'd wager that whoever turns off their alarm clock with fireworks can _create _and _control_ fireworks."

"Precisely," Ororo confirmed. "I'll leave you to your breakfast. If you need anything, just let Dr. McCoy know," she added before she left the room.

"Her name's Jubilee – and it's a good thing she knows how to fix her alarm clock," Tomi chuckled as she dug into the eggs. "She breaks it practically every single morning."

"So… you guys have super powers?" Mikey grinned at her.

"Most of us have powers, yes," Tomi shook her head at the boy she suddenly realized was a hyperactive teenager. "And only two of the people at this school look different."

"What can you do?" Mikey asked eagerly.

"I'm telekinetic, and my body heals very rapidly," she answered with a grin. "I also have enhanced senses. I bet you can figure out Storm's powers," she added with a laugh.

"That's easy – she must be able to manipulate the weather, or at least create storms," Donnie chuckled after he swallowed a chunk of scrambled eggs. "Are you going to hang out down here all day?"

"I was planning on it," she chuckled. "Unless you'd rather I leave or something like that."

"Nah, then what would we do?" Mikey waved that idea away. "Besides, you can tell us how you found us!"

"It was more of an accident than anything else," she blushed at that. "Whoever snatched you four also tried snatching _me_. I would bet that they thought I was only telekinetic, and didn't use a strong enough sedative on me."

"That was lucky for us," Donnie had to admit. "Otherwise we could have been there for who knows how long, and never realized it."

"Yeah, you're like… our guardian angel!" Mikey grinned at her. Tomi couldn't help but laugh. "Or somethin' like that! I mean, without you, we wouldn't be free!"

"Mikey _is_ right – without you, we wouldn't be here," Donnie pointed out logically. "Even if you didn't rescue us alone, I do recall you telling Logan that you wouldn't leave us behind."

"_No one_ deserves to be strapped to a bed," she told them both seriously. "And considering that they had kidnapped _me,_ I wasn't about to leave anyone behind. I'm just glad I didn't have to carry everyone out on my own – I'd still be asleep if I had tried!"

"Which we totally appreciate! So… what can we do while we wait for Leo and Raph to wake up?" Mikey inquired, looking around.

"Hmm… I think that cabinet has some card games," Tomi looked over at a cabinet, and telekinetically opened it from her position on the bed. "Yup," she grinned in satisfaction as two packs of cards floated towards them.

"COOL!" Mikey grinned as the two packs landed between her and the two boys. "That is so awesome! I wish I could do something cool like that," he told her enviously as Tomi chuckled.

"It takes a lot of concentration," she informed him honestly before she grinned. "You want to see something _really_ cool?" she inquired, raising her right eyebrow.

"Definitely!" was Mikey's only response, although the grin on his face indicated his excitement.

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Sorry about the ending - it's a bit of a cliffhanger, but it seemed to be the best way to set up the next chapter. And in case you're curious - yes, next chapter both Leo and Raph will wake up. Now, let's talk details for a bit.

**Turtle-verse**: In order for the 2003 TMNT cartoon to mesh best with X-men: Evolution, I am going to exclude all TMNT superheroes, like the Silver Sentry. This is in part because they don't fit very well into the combined universe, and in part because they don't make as much logical sense to me in the first place. Don't get me wrong, they're fun characters, but I also have trouble seeing them and wondering why people can't accept the turtles if they can accept and welcome superheroes who have odd appearances. Further, they don't fit into the X-men: Evo universe at all, so for this story they are being completely excluded. (Well, maybe not _completely _- they can still have comic books that Mikey enjoys - but that's it.) Also, this story starts after the "City at War" story arc and (again for this story to make sense), I'm moving "April's Artifact" to just after the "City at War" arc, so that that episode occurs as well before the turtles are captured. This is so that April's antique shop is up and running, which "April's Artifact" shows them getting the finishing touches on.

**X-Men: Evolution**: Although I am not modifying this side very much, I do feel that it is necessary to let you all know when in this series we are. As I have previously mentioned, it is in the middle of season 2, but I now have more specific details. It begins between the episode "Adrift" and "On Angel's Wings." This is due to the need to have Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy at the Institute (which he is not until episode "Beast of Bayville"), and the fact that I think that "Adrift" has to occur during the summer, which this story is not. In addition, this is the fall, which means that "On Angel's Wings" must occur _after _my story has begun.

A final announcement is that, despite getting close to final exams and whatnot, I should still be able to make weekly updates for a while. I'll let you know otherwise, but my plan is to continue updating every Saturday until this story is either done or I've run out of ideas.

That's all from me for now!

**~Star~**


	4. Ch 4 Brothers

**Greetings**! As promised, here is the next weekly update of **Changes**! Again, I'm sorry about the cliffhanger from last week - but hopefully this chapter makes up for some of that. Also, I have a warning to issue: there is some minor swearing in this chapter. I've managed to contain it to just one, but I thought you guys should be aware that there is some language in here.

Also, thank you to my two reviewers, TMNTxKreativ and X23 version 2.0! I very much appreciated the reviews!

**Disclaimer**: As always, I don't own the turtles... or the X-men... if I did, I'd totally be rich! Anyways, I do own Hitomi Weber. Please don't use her without permission.

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**Ch 4 Brothers**

There were many sensations that Leo noticed as he woke up. He couldn't place a lot of them, most of them being new sensations that he had never felt before. Since that was never a good sign, it didn't sit well at all, so he decided to pretend to still be asleep as he assessed his situation.

There were voices – he couldn't tell who was talking, and a cold feeling grew in the pit of his stomach as he strained to hear them. He had to know who they were and what they were talking about. Slowly the voices coalesced into actual words, and he could hear what they were saying.

"This isn't as easy as it appears," a strange, female voice was saying cheerfully. "Like I was telling you before, it takes a lot of concentration. I do this sometimes just to get the practice in. It takes fine control, something that the Professor says I need."

"This is so COOL!" an excited voice told her. Leo nearly frowned – that was his little brother, Michelangelo. "I am so totally jealous!"

"It's not _that_ impressive," the girl told Mikey dismissively. "Jean has _way_ better control than I, and she can lift more than I can, too."

"Hey, compared to everyone who _can't_ do what you and Jean can, it's impressive," a new voice joined the fray, this time the voice of his brother, Donatello.

"You should see some of the other students. Personally, I like what Kurt and Kitty can do – now _that's_ impressive!" the girl laughed.

_What the shell is going on here? Are we in a school? Where are we?_ Leo was getting very frustrated by the lack of information that was forthcoming. However, considering that the strange girl was casually talking to Mikey and Donnie, it appeared that wherever they were, they were safe. He opened his eyes and nearly started when a card flew past his face, about six to eight inches above him. He blinked as another few flew above his head.

"Hey, is he waking up?" the strange girl asked, and suddenly many cards flew back towards a spot towards his right.

Leo turned his head as a bed squeaked next to him. He blinked as a half-naked teenage boy moved towards him. "Leo? Are you okay, bro?" the teen asked, sounded exactly like his brother, Donatello, as he wobbled over to the bed Leo lay on.

"D-donnie?" Leo stared at the boy who seemed to be his brother-turned-human.

"Yeah, Leo, it's me," Don smiled sheepishly. "Something happened to us that… seems impossible," he added with a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

_Oh, shell, his _hair. _My little bro has _hair,Leo stared at his brother, then something Donnie said clicked into place. "All of us?" Leo whispered, his voice cracking from both what he had just realized and the dryness in his throat.

"Yeah, Leo, all four of us," Donnie answered with a sigh. "Let me take this IV out of your arm, and we'll fill you in on what we know." A Japanese girl appeared on Leo's left side, holding a cup of water. "This is Hitomi – she helped rescue us from where… all this happened to us," he introduced as he worked.

Leo got himself into a sitting position and accepted the cup from Hitomi, his hands shaking a little from the shock of discovering that he, too, was human. He took a sip before he asked, "Why did you help us?" He hoped he didn't sound ungrateful, but he had to know.

"You weren't the only ones kidnapped – only they underestimated me," Hitomi answered with a shrug. "And I sure as heck couldn't leave you all there to suffer."

"Why would they kidnap you?" Leo frowned at her, trying to understand. Hitomi smiled.

"Did you think that you and your brothers were the only mutants in the world?" she inquired, cards starting to drift and float around them.

"Show-off," Donnie grinned at her. To his brother, he explained, "Hitomi and the rest of the people in this school are people who are born with genetic mutations that give them special abilities, like telekinesis." The cards all went back to land on the bed that the other conscious teen sat on. _Mikey,_ Leo told himself. _That has to be Mikey._

"Do you have any idea how this happened to us?" Leo had to know. "Or why? Or if it's reversible?"

"Unfortunately, no, but I'm hoping Dr. McCoy will have an idea on what happened to us, and maybe find out if it's reversible," Donnie answered. "Dr. McCoy is a geneticist who works here," he added quickly, knowing accurately how all of them felt about doctors of any sort.

"He's cool," Mikey added, bouncing slightly on his bed.

"Hey, Don – you should sit down before you collapse," Hitomi suddenly put in, and Leo realized that Donnie was starting to tremble slightly. He scooted over, leaving room for his little brother to sit. Donnie smiled gratefully as he sat down on Leo's bed. "We just determined that it's been about three months since you were abducted," she told Leo. "That's a long time for muscles to remain inert."

"_Three months?"_ Leo gasped, staring between Hitomi and his brothers. The grim expression on Donnie's face indicated that Hitomi hadn't been lying.

As Leo too in this stunning information, a door opened. Leo looked up and felt his jaw drop in surprise. Framed in the door was a blue-furred gorilla, wearing a lab coat. "Ah, I see another of your brothers has woken up," he noted with a careful smile.

"Leo, this is Dr. McCoy," Donnie told his brother. "This is Leonardo, which means that that must be Raphael," he pointed at the bed on Leo's left. Leo glanced at the still-unconscious teenager before he looked back and Dr. McCoy. Suddenly he could understand why Donnie had trusted this doctor with their DNA. His own appearance was quite stunning. It also proved that Donnie hadn't been lying when he had mentioned that the school they were was for mutants. "I removed the IV – I hope you don't mind," Donnie added with a lopsided grin.

"I take it you have had some practice in the medical field," Dr. McCoy remarked, rather than getting upset. "How do you feel, Leonardo?"

"All right, I guess," he answered, looking at his hands. Dr. McCoy chuckled.

"Disoriented and stunned might be a more accurate statement, I presume," he commented. Leo had to flash the doctor a grin. That _was_ a more accurate way to put how he was feeling. "I'm sure that your last brother, Raphael, will feel the same way once he wakes up. Considering the fact that you and Michelangelo woke up within a half hour of each other, I would guess he should be awake soon as well."

"What about Donnie?" Leo frowned at his brother, trying to figure out why only he and Mikey were mentioned. "When did you first wake up?"

"Hitomi woke me up while we were still at the place where we were kept," Donnie answered. "The sedatives that they give us wear off fairly quickly in the presence of Hitomi's blood."

"She put her own blood into you?" Leo blinked in surprise at that. He couldn't fathom why her blood would do that, or why she would think to use her blood.

"I heal at really fast speeds," Hitomi put in. "My blood retains that capability for a while, and I'm pretty lucky to have type O blood because of it."

"Wow… that's pretty impressive," Leo had to admit, looking curiously at the girl. It was almost too fantastic to believe, really, and yet he couldn't deny the truth in their words. After all, there was proof right in front of him that there were people who were born mutants right in front of him. And he trusted his brothers to tell him the truth. Well, except for Mikey, and that was only when he suspected that Mikey was trying to set him up for a prank or trying to get out of trouble.

Suddenly, the five of them heard a groan from Leo's left. They all looked in the direction as the teenager grumbled slightly. "Raph?" Donnie inquired. "You waking up, bro?"

"Five more minutes," the teen grumbled, a little more coherent and understandable than before.

"Raph, you've been asleep for three months. I think you can wake up now," Leo had to smirk, guessing his hot-headed brother's reactions even as the words left his mouth. He was still stunned by that fact, but if it would wake Raph up so they could talk to him and calm him down, so be it.

Raph bolted into a sitting position, staring around in shock before his eyes narrowed in anger when he spotted Hitomi, who was still standing between Leo and Raph's beds, Leo, and Donnie. "Who the shell are all of you?!" he yelled angrily before he spotted Dr. McCoy. "What the shell?" he frowned, blinking at the sight of the blue-furred mutant.

"My name is Hitomi Weber, and believe it or not, these are your brothers," Hitomi told him quietly. "You four were captured and held for three months, and after they captured me, my school helped us all escape."

"It's true, Raph," Leo told his hot-headed brother calmly. "I wish I could tell you otherwise, but it's true."

"And it's not just us, Raph – whatever they did to us, they did to _all_ of us," Donnie added with a sigh. Raph frowned before he looked at his hands.

"What the fuck?!" Raph gasped, staring at his very human hands.

"Raph…" Leo sighed, shaking his head at his brother's language.

"In the normal course of events, I would correct such language," Dr. McCoy commented. "However, considering the circumstances, I can understand your shock and horror. I would like to remove the IV from your arm, Raphael," he added as he moved towards the stunned teen.

Raph looked at the needle, and his eyes narrowed. "Why is it in my arm in the first place?!" he yelled at the doctor, balling up his fists.

"When you arrived, I felt it was necessary to give you a saline drip to keep your bodies hydrated. I can assure you that that is all that I gave any of you. Upon learning that you had been placed into a medically induced coma, it seems the precaution was a wise one to take," Dr. McCoy answered calmly, undisturbed by Raph's outburst as Raph reluctantly let the doctor remove the IV. "Now there should still be some of the breakfast Ororo brought down – I would suggest you have some of that, but take care not to overindulge."

"And why should we trust any of you?!" Raph growled angrily, wanting nothing more than to hit the strange mutant.

Leo sighed. It was typical Raph to start looking for a fight, especially considering the circumstances. However, he knew that, if these people had meant them harm, they wouldn't have let them wake up unrestrained. Unfortunately, Raph didn't think like that right off. He was mad, and wanted someone or something to fight.

Luckily for the leader, it was Donnie who spoke up in defense of the two strangers in the room. "Raph, Hitomi helped _rescue_ us, and Dr. McCoy is only trying to help," the brain of the four told his brother calmly. "And I would know – she woke me up before we made our escape with the help of one of her teachers."

Leo suddenly guessed that the only reason Donnie trusted everyone here was because he trusted Hitomi, and Hitomi must trust everyone here. Well, to be fair, she must have worked hard to get them all out of there, and he could appreciate that. And the fact that she had visited them first thing in the morning was also nice of her. She was obviously concerned with their wellbeing.

Suddenly the faucet turned on and they all turned to see a cup being filled. The water shut off and the glass floated towards the group. Dr. McCoy sighed as Raphael stared at the glass as it floated over to him.

"Hitomi, you shouldn't put so much stress on yourself," Dr. McCoy reprimanded firmly as Raph hesitantly took the glass of water. "After all, you overexerted yourself yesterday."

Hitomi set her jaw and her eyes flashed. "Are you implying that I shouldn't have done what I did?" she demanded angrily.

"I am merely stating that you overexerted yourself yesterday, Hitomi. You know how dangerous that could be," he reminded her gently. The four brothers shot each other a look. They wanted to know what they were talking about, but at the moment it was impossible to get a word in. "I wouldn't have asked you to stay here overnight if I wasn't worried."

"For _most_ mutants, Dr. McCoy," Hitomi shot back angrily. "My body can heal anything – and there was nothing else that I could have done yesterday. There is no way on Earth that I would've left _anyone_ behind!"

Dr. McCoy sighed heavily. "While I admire your dedication, Hitomi, I am not trying to judge your actions. It is too late to come up with a different solution. And I still would recommend that you refrain from using your telekinesis for a while, unless it is necessary," he told her sincerely, obviously unwilling to argue with the teenager. "Even if your body _does_ heal any injuries you acquire, it still would be a shame if you hurt yourself."

With that, Dr. McCoy turned around and left the room. Hitomi glared in his direction before she let out a sigh and looked back at the four brothers. "What?" she blinked at the stares she was getting.

"What was he talking about? How can overexerting yourself be dangerous?" Leo had to know, deciding that that was the first thing he had to know. His mind was reeling with all the information that the argument had just provided for him.

Hitomi sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. "Most mutants, if they really overexert themselves, could potentially die from it," she answered honestly, if a little shyly. Dead silence greeted those words.

"And you risked your own life to get us out of there?" Donnie asked, a little horrified at the idea. Leo had to agree with sentiment.

"Maybe," Hitomi shrugged. "Like I said to Dr. McCoy, that's what happens for _most_ mutants. We've never felt it was important to test if it was the same for me. I _heal_ at really fast rates – I don't _think_ that I could overexert myself enough to kill me."

"You still shouldn't have risked it," Leo frowned at her.

"And leave any of you behind?" she demanded coldly, obviously angry at the very idea. "What kind of honor-less person do you take me for?"

"A damn stubborn one," a slightly bemused voice came from the other side of the room. In the door to the hallway stood a burly looking man, with black hair and a muscular frame. Out of habit more than anything else, Leo tensed slightly. "Nice tah see all of you are awake," he added as he entered the room.

"Are you going to chew me out for missing the morning training session?" Hitomi inquired, obviously wondering what the strange man was doing here. There was amusement in her voice.

"Mule, you weren't supposed tah be back from visiting your parents until later today. Why would I be mad you missed training?" he shook his head. "So, am I going tah get introduced to your brothers or what?" he directed that statement at Donnie, who had to grin at the man.

"Sure. Guys, this is Logan… I don't think I caught your last name," Donnie suddenly frowned at the man. Leo was startled to see both Hitomi and Logan snort, almost simultaneously.

"Kid, if I had a last name, I woulda told yah," Logan told Donnie simply. "Right now I'm more interested in who everyone else is." This pronouncement stunned all four of the former turtles, particularly since everyone _had_ a last name, at least to their knowledge.

"Logan, this is Raphael," Hitomi put in as she indicated the right person, deciding that they weren't going to be able to introduce themselves at the rate they were going. "Leonardo," she pointed at Leo, "and Michelangelo."

"How can you not have a last name?" Leo had to know.

"I don't remember it, kid," Logan answered, rolling his eyes. "And trust me, I've _tried_ to remember it." He shrugged. "Anyways, I just thought I'd check up on all of yah." With that, he turned and left the room before anyone could articulate another question.

"How can he not remember his last name?" Leo asked Hitomi with a frown. "I mean, it doesn't seem like the type of thing you'd just up and _forget._"

"I know, but considering what else Logan can't remember, I'm not too surprised," Hitomi shrugged. "I don't think _anyone_ knows how old Logan is… Logan has the same healing ability I do, and it seems to… slow down the aging process. He could be forty… fifty… or a hundred, and we'd never know."

"Whoa," was Raph's startled response. Leo shot a careful glance at his hot-headed brother. Apparently all this information was shocking him, but not infuriating him. That was a good thing, especially considering what Raph might do.

There wasn't much Leo could say accurately about the situation they were all in, but there was one thing he could say for sure. Hitomi was someone who he could trust completely, for she had risked a possible death to save all four of them from whatever fate had awaited them in the place they had been kept.

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**Author's Notes**:

I want to explain why I had the conversation pertaining to how much Hitomi risked. In all honesty, yes, if a mutant overuses their powers, they could either collapse or, worst case scenario, die. However, Hitomi thinks that that doesn't apply to her due to her healing ability, and stubbornly refuses to think otherwise. Again, this is why Logan calls her 'Mule' - she's a very stubborn young lady. Whether or not she _can _die from overexertion is moot - she'll do what she wants regardless of the potential dangers to herself.

For those non-X-men readers, I want to say something briefly on Logan not having a last name. While the reason is unclear, the effects are not. Logan basically has amnesia, where he can't remember his past before a certain point, and between that point and another, it's very patchy. His real name is James Howlett, but he doesn't recall that. Don't ask me how he went from being 'James' to 'Logan' - that's also debatable, and depends on the version you're going with. As for how long he's been alive - I can't put an exact date on it, but he appears to have been alive since probably the early half of the 19th century.

The next chapter will be up next week on Saturday.

Finally, please, PLEASE **review**!!! I enjoy them, and they make me feel like someone appreciates the effort I go through to write my stories. (I'm sure that's how other authors feel, too.) So please?

**~Star~**


	5. Ch 5 Friends

**Hello all! **I'm happy to give you another chapter in this story, and hope that everyone enjoys this one as much as they have been enjoying the past four chapters. There is some things I'd like to say about this chapter, but I'll address them at the end. First off, I'd like to thank my sole reviewer, **Anon. Crewmember**, for their review. I'm glad you're enjoying this!

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own anything or anyone except Hitomi**.**

**Ch 5, Friends**

April O'Neil, owner of the antique shop 'Second Time Around,' tried not to show her customers how worried she was. If they asked, she couldn't really give them a straight answer. She kept glancing at the clock, eagerly waiting for the brief hour that she had for lunch. Not that she actually used all that time for lunch, but she definitely didn't waste it!

No, these days she would gulp down a quick sandwich and use her computer to try and locate her missing friends. Most of the time, they felt like more than that. They felt like brothers to her, and she wanted desperately to find out if they were okay. The more time passed, the more frantic she became, even though she tried hard to hide it.

Casey Jones wasn't handling their continued disappearance any better. She knew for a fact that he'd go out late at night and bash some heads in, trying to find any clue that might lead them to finding their lost friends.

_If only their shell cells hadn't been destroyed,_ April thought dejectedly as she finally issued the last of her customers out of the doors and put the sign 'Closed for Lunch' up. If the shell cells were still functional, she could have tracked them.

The first month had been the hardest, for all of them. April had spent most of the time trying everything she could to find them, shorting herself on time for sleep. Only after getting a lecture from Master Splinter on the need to sleep, to refresh herself, did she actually settle into a better routine. She still got less sleep than she used to, but at least now she wasn't dead tired for days on end.

That didn't mean things were any better now than they had been that first month. If anything, despite the amount of sleep she got, April was even more an emotional wreck then she had been at the beginning of this ordeal. She just wished they would find them so that the ordeal they were all going through would end.

April sighed as she climbed the stairs into her apartment. She could make all sorts of wishes, but that wouldn't help her find the guys any sooner. She had just finished throwing together a ham-and-cheese sandwich when her phone rang. April sighed as she grabbed the phone. _If it's a telemarketer, I'm going to scream,_ she thought savagely as she hit the 'talk' button on the cordless phone.

"Hello?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound _too_ irritable.

"_Hey, April,"_ came one of the four voices she had been hoping to hear for three months. April nearly dropped her phone in shock.

"_Leo?_" she gasped, clutching the phone harder. "Is… is that really you?"

"_Yes, April, it's really me,"_ Leo chuckled.

"Are Donnie, Mikey, and Raph with you? Where are you? Are you guys okay? What happened?" April couldn't stop herself as questions poured out of her faster than she could think. Joy was thudding through her as she waited for his answer.

"_Slow down, April, I can't answer all your questions at once,"_ Leo laughed before falling silent. _"Donnie, Mikey, and Raph are here with me. We're at Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Long story short, they rescued us from where we were. And we're fine… for the most part."_

"'For the most part'? Leo, what's going on?" April asked as worry started to grow in the pit of her stomach.

There was a silence on the other end of the line before Leo finally answered. _"I think it would be easier to explain in person, April. I've been told to tell you that you, Casey, and Master Splinter are all welcome here at any time."_

April ran through all the possible responses she could make to that statement before she decided what she hoped was the best one. "They won't be surprised by Master Splinter's appearance?" she asked quietly.

She could hear Leo laugh again, and that rather surprised her. _"April, they are very used to people with strange appearances. One of the teachers here looks like a blue gorilla – no offense, Dr. McCoy,"_ he added quickly. April could just make out a response from a voice she didn't recognize. _"So they're not going to be too surprised by Master Splinter, and we really want him here."_

"I'm sure he'll want to be there for you guys," April told him quietly. "Where is Xavier's Institute?"

"_Bayville, New York,"_ Leo answered after a moment. _"Dr. McCoy says that that's about an hour and a half from New York City, including traffic. Well, except for rush hour."_

"Are you guys safe?" April had to know, despite the fact that Leo was talking to this 'Dr. McCoy' calmly.

"_Yes, April. We're safe,"_ Leo replied softly, knowing why she asked him that. _"We all are."_

"We'll be there sometime tonight," she told him, although she had to admit she was starting to worry about having a place to stay.

She heard Leo talking to someone else before he spoke to her again. _"Dr. McCoy says that all three of you are welcome to spend the night if that makes things easier on all of you,"_ Leo told her honestly. _"We can't wait to see all of you…"_

"I'll see you later, Leo," April promised. "Take care."

As she hung up the phone, she wished she didn't have to hold up the pretenses that she didn't know the guys. Otherwise she would close the shop down for the rest of the day, sweet-talk Casey's boss into letting him go early, and head out to where the guys were at the very moment. There were too many things left unsaid for her to feel comfortable. However, there were a few good things that she could assume from what Leo said. They weren't where they had been for the past three months anymore, as a result of the people from Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters.

She had to wonder what they had to do with rescuing mutant turtles, but she suspected she'd get an answer to that particular question once she got there. There were many things she had to do, but the first one was a phone call.

She picked up her cell phone and pressed the speed-dial number that she had been calling at least once a day for the past three months. She held the cell phone up to her ear and waited. _"Hello?" _came the aged voice of Master Splinter.

"Hello, Master Splinter," April greeted, a smile spreading across her face. For the first time in three months, she had good news.

"_Miss O'Neil, you are early,"_ Master Splinter noted with surprise. _"Do you have any news?" _This time there was both hope and fear in his voice

"Yes, I do," April grinned. "Leo called me." She let that sink in before she add, "He says that all four of them are okay, and they want us to go to where they are."

"_And where are my sons?"_ There was no mistaking the joy in Master Splinter's voice.

"Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters. I didn't get a chance to ask many questions, but… I'm pretty sure it's safe. Leo mentioned a teacher who looked like… a blue gorilla," April told him, still puzzled by the last bit of news she imparted to the turtles' father.

There was a brief silence. _"I see…"_ Master Splinter responded thoughtfully. _"When will we be leaving, Miss O'Neil?"_

"I think about three thirty," April answered after a moment. "I can close at three, and it shouldn't take too long to get some things together for an overnight trip. I'll have to talk to Casey, though."

"_Understood. Please let me know when you are on your way here, Miss O'Neil,"_ Master Splinter told her calmly.

"Will do," she agreed before she bid him farewell and hung up. She would have to wait until after she closed the shop to talk to Casey. The garage he worked at only gave him a half-hour to have lunch, and he had his lunchtime just before her lunch hour started.

Despite now knowing where her friends were, April still made her way to her computer. There were a few things she wanted to know about Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters that she could learn before she headed out there. She wasn't expecting to find anything about 'mutants' in connection with the Institute, but she was still curious.

TMNT XMEN TMNT XMEN TMNT XMEN TMNT XMEN

"All right, I have shirts!" Hitomi grinned as she reentered the Infirmary. She had left to shower and change, and before she had come back down, she had hunted out all the guys of the Institute and asked for _clean_ shirts they were willing to either lend to the guys in the Infirmary or give up completely. She had seven shirts, with three of them being donated to the cause by Scott. He didn't want any of them back.

She had decided that they needed shirts, especially if their friends and father came. She marched up to the two beds that they had pushed together so that they could all play with the cards that she had pulled out earlier and deposited the seven shirts in the middle of them. She grinned as they all looked between her and the shirts.

"Normally I would ask why, but considering we're _human,_ I guess we can't go running around half-naked," Donnie commented slowly as he stared at the shirts. "Whose are these?"

"Scott donated three of them, Kurt is donating one as well as lending one, Bobby donated one, and Sam is lending one out," she answered with a grin. "Just take the one you want, and don't worry about it."

"Hey, there's a purple one!" Donnie noticed excitedly, pulling it out. "It's my favorite color," he explained to Hitomi. "Is this one of the donated ones or one of the ones that are being lent?" he asked.

"That's one of Scott's old ones," she grinned as Raph and Leo pulled out a red and blue T-shirt respectively. "I don't think I've ever seen him wear purple. He normally buys red shirts," she explained, trying not to laugh. "Actually, I think he bought it by accident."

"How can someone buy a shirt by accident?" Raph frowned at her as he pulled on his red shirt. Mikey had found an orange T-shirt.

"If I recall the story correctly, the girl at the store told him it looked good on him, and he thought it was a different color," she grinned. "You _could_ argue that Scott is color-blind."

"But purple has nothing to do with color-blindness," Donnie frowned at her after he had pulled on his shirt.

"It _does_ when the only color you can see is red," Hitomi laughed. "Let me explain – Scott's powers are optic blasts, but since he can't control them, he wears these ruby-quartz sunglasses. So he can only see red. That's why I said you could _argue_ Scott is color-blind. That's also why Scott didn't ask anyone what color shirt he was buying until _after_ he got it home and had taken off the tags."

"Well, his loss is my gain," Donnie shrugged, looking down at the purple shirt that happened to be about the right shade to match the mask he usually wore.

"So whose shirt did we end up in?" Mikey grinned at her, wiggling his eyebrows.

"You're in Kurt's old shirt, Mikey, while Leo is in Bobby's and Raph's in another one of Scott's. I guess Kurt and Sam are getting their loaners back," Hitomi grinned as she picked up the other three shirts and dumped them on a different bed.

"C'mon – we can play Go Fish or something!" Mikey invited her, patting the space next to him. "And you can tell us about the other students here!"

"Why don't you join us?" Donnie invited with his own grin. "You'll disappoint Mikey if you run off again."

"Then let's not disappoint Mikey," she laughed as she climbed onto one of the beds. "So did you call your friend while I was taking my shower?"

"Yes, and she said that they'd be here tonight," Leo answered as Mikey shuffled the cards. "It'll be good to see them again."

TMNT XMEN TMNT XMEN TMNT XMEN

Casey slammed the door to his apartment shut with perhaps a little more force than necessary. Three months was a long time. He knew he wasn't smart like April or Donnie, but he wasn't stupid, either. A term that made more sense for him was 'street-smart.' He wasn't blind to reality at all. In fact, one might argue that he understood reality a little too well.

That's why he was pissed off. Three months was way too long a period of time for his four friends to be missing. He didn't have any idea on where they might be, and he was losing hope that they'd find them again. Casey was about to grab a beer from his fridge when the phone rang.

"Now who the heck could that be?" he groaned as he picked up the cordless phone. He frowned at the caller ID before he answered it. "What's up, April?"

"_Casey, pack an overnight bag – we're going to Bayville," _April told him cheerfully.

"Bayville? What for?" Casey frowned, noting the cheerful voice she had used. Hope blossomed in the pit of his stomach, and he waited rather impatiently for her response.

"_That's where the guys are. Leo called me,"_ April answered with the same joyful tone as before. _"He says they're okay, but there are some things he needs to talk to us about in person. I'm about to go pick up Master Splinter in my station-wagon. I'll be at your place in twenty minutes."_

She didn't give him a chance to ask any other questions, either. Casey stared at the phone in his hand for what seemed like a long time, but was really only a minute or two. He had a lot of questions, but he would have to wait until later to ask them. He ran and grabbed a bag, tossing a few clothes into his bag and racking his brain for other items he might need.

After dumping his bag in the trunk, he sat in the front seat. He guess that Master Splinter was hidden under the blanket in the back seat, but that didn't matter too much at the moment. "So what's going on, April?" he had to know as April began the drive to a place he hadn't really heard about before.

"Leo called me during my lunch hour," April answered with a smile. "He said that he and the others were okay, and at Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters. We didn't talk long – but he insisted that we all go."

"Did he say what happened?" Casey wanted to know.

"No, but from what he said I would guess that the guys were captured and taken somewhere, then something caused the people at Xavier's Institute to rescue them. Whoever these people are, they're probably not startled by their appearance. According to Leo, one of the teachers has a rather exotic appearance," April answered, still perplexed by that information.

"How 'exotic' are we talking about here?" Casey had to know.

"Leo described him as looking like a blue gorilla," April answered softly. Casey shot her a startled look. "I know, I was surprised, too. I'm hoping we get more answers when we get there."

"Are they expectin' us?" Casey wanted to know.

"Yes, they are," she replied. "I wish I knew what to expect, Casey, but all I can say is that this is bound to be an interesting trip." Casey grunted in agreement, frowning as he tried to figure out why a school would send people to rescue four giant, mutant turtles.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**The T-shirt scene**: this has to be my favorite scene in the whole chapter. Why? It's hilarious - especially the part involving Scott's shirt. Most of the X-men there, I have to admit, I don't see buying a purple t-shirt, and quite honestly, I wanted one for Donnie. However, considering Scott's rather unique brand of color-blindness (as Hitomi said, you could argue he is, even though he probably wouldn't be if he could control his powers), it would make the most sense for him to accidentally buy a purple t-shirt when he was shopping alone.

We're getting closer to the guys meeting other X-men - unfortunately, that's taking a while. There are a few things that need to happen first, but don't worry - I plan on introducing them to most of the other students at the Institute before we hit chapter 10. (Sorry, X-men fans - it just turned out that way. Since I'm starting from the turtles' perspective, well, that's just the way the cookie crumbles.)

For anyone interested in writing TMNT stories, but need a writing prompt, or anyone interested in them, I have started a new forum thread in my **TMNT Centric **forum just for that purpose.

Finally, PLEASE REVIEW! I like reviews - a lot. They cheer me up, make my day, and totally motivate me to write more. (And help me to force my way past points where I get writer's block...) So... please **review**!

**~Star~**


	6. Ch 6 Reunion

Greetings! Thanks to **TMNTxKreativ **for the review! And on a more personal note, school is out! Yahoo! *throws confetti* That should mean that I will be able to write more, specifically for my other updating stories, two of which I have been severely neglecting... Sorry, Plant Girl fans! I've just been unable to think of what to write, and not been very encouraged... and I've got writer's block for "A New Team." (Blame Fi - she's not making it easy to write her chapter.)

Disclaimer: _See previous chapters._

**Ch 6 Reunion**

* * *

Logan answered the buzzer that alerted them to guests. Only the students and the teachers had the code to the Institute's front gates, and no one was allowed to give it out. "Yeah?" he grumbled into it, since he knew they weren't expecting anyone.

"_It's April O'Neil and Casey Jones,"_ came a female voice over the intercom. _"We're here to see… our friends Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo Hamato."_

Logan blinked at that. _Chuck?_ he thought loudly.

_::It's alright, Logan. They're welcome here. The boys' father and teacher is also in there, although they don't want to announce it just yet,::_ Professor Charles Xavier reassured him. _::Take them down to the Infirmary, but warn them about the appearance change as you go down.::_

_Will do,_ he thought. "C'mon in. Yah can park your car in front of the front entrance for now," he told the woman as he pressed the button that opened the front gates.

"_Thank you,"_ April told him.

Logan headed down to the main lobby, which wasn't far from where he already was. He watched as the old station wagon drove up and parked in front of the door. He pushed open the door as a tall, dark-haired man and a tall, red-headed woman got out of the vehicle. "I was told there was supposed tah be someone else with yah," he told them calmly, lifting an eyebrow at them.

The blankets in the back seat moved at that comment, and a rat-like mutant opened the side door. "It appears that you were expecting me," the rat commented dryly. "And you are undisturbed by my appearance."

Logan snorted. "Around here, yah get used tah anything," he told the rat with a smirk. "I'm Logan, one of the teachers here."

"Casey Jones," the tall man introduced himself. "Aren't yah supposed tah have a last name or somethin'?"

Logan sighed. _What is it with people and last names?_ He had to ask himself. "It doesn't matter right now," he informed the man with forced calm.

"I'm April O'Neil," the woman offered, nudging Casey firmly.

"And I am called Splinter," the rat offered. "If you don't mind, I would like to continue this discussion inside."

Logan chuckled. "I'll do yah one better. I'm sure you want to see the kids, and Chuck – Professor Charles Xavier – wants me to bring yah down to them," he told Splinter with a grin. He led them inside.

"How are my sons?" Splinter inquired, the anxiety clear in his voice.

"Fine, for the most part," Logan shrugged. "From what Hank tells us, they were kept in a… medically induced coma for the past few months, so they're outta shape." He didn't want to tell them quite yet the very 'bad' news that they had been transformed.

"Whoa – that's horrible!" Casey gaped at him, stunned. "Who would do something like that?"

"Bub, if I knew the answer to that, I'd _still_ be kicking the person's ass around," Logan growled. He had thought at first sight that the four boys had merely been kidnapped, but upon learning the truth about them, well, it pissed him off. Who thought that they had the right to do something like that to mutants? Once they found out who did this, they would pay.

"Why did you rescue them? I mean, they aren't… ordinary," April wanted to know.

Before Logan had the chance to answer, Kitty Pryde walked through the wall right in front of them. Both Casey and April gasped in shock, startling the girl, who looked over at them. From what Logan could tell, she only saw the two humans. "Umm…. Oops?" she grinned nervously at Logan, looking at the two humans.

Logan snorted. "It's okay, Half-Pint," he told the girl. "They're here for the kids we rescued with Mule."

"Oh! Thank goodness!" she appeared visibly relieved at that. "So they know about mutants!"

"Wait, you're a _mutant?"_ April gasped, looking between Splinter, who Kitty had finally noticed, and Kitty. "But how?"

"Genetics – we were born with a genetic mutation," Logan answered with a sigh. It _would_ figure that he had to try to explain this to them. "All of us here are mutants. This is one of the students here, Kitty Pryde. Get back to whatever you were doing, Half-Pint."

"Okay! It's nice meeting you!" Kitty grinned before she jogged off into another wall.

"Everyone here is a mutant?" April asked Logan, her mind still reeling from this revelation.

"Yup," Logan confirmed, barely suppressing a sigh. "I can't explain the whole genetics thing – that's not my area of expertise. You can talk tah Hank about it if you want – he should be down in the Infirmary with your friends."

"Would I be correct in assuming that all the mutants here have some type of ability, if not a physical appearance?" Splinter inquired calmly.

"You got it," Logan confirmed again, this time eyeing the old rodent with respect.

"And the reason you discovered my sons has more to do with a student of your own being kidnapped?" Splinter continued.

"Yeah. Her name's Hitomi Weber, but I call her Mule," he answered. "She's half the reason they're here now. Damn kid is way too stubborn." Logan couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Even though it was just the two of us, she insisted that we bring all four of them with us."

"How'd you manage that?" Casey demanded as they reached the elevator.

"She'd managed to wake one of them up – Donatello – and he was able to run for a while before she had to telekinetically carry him the rest of the way. She took one of the others, and I took the other two. Luckily Mule was also able to keep any attackers from getting to us," Logan answered honestly. Logan sighed, shaking his head. "If I had known it wasn't just Mule, I woulda brought others tah help. She overdid it a little." He didn't say that to get them to feel guilty – he just wanted them to know that Hitomi had put forth more effort in their rescue than he had, and she was the biggest reason they were now safe.

"It seems that only coincidence enabled you to rescue my sons, but I am very grateful nonetheless," Splinter told him sincerely.

"Yeah, well, we couldn't just leave them there," Logan shrugged as the elevator came to the correct level. "Listen, I gotta warn yah about somethin' before we get to the Infirmary."

"What about?" Casey demanded, anger in his voice.

"Whoever took those kids did somethin' tah them," Logan told him carefully. He had no need to be cautious, but he didn't want to just blurt out the news. "We don't know what quite yet, but whatever they did, they aren't going to look like they did before."

"What do you mean?" April had to know.

"Whoever took them… made them look… human," Logan answered, trying to find the right words. He was more articulate with his fists than with words, but in this case he had to try. Seeing their disbelieving expressions, he rolled his eyes and pushed open the door to the Infirmary. "See for yourself," he told them.

"Master Splinter!" four voices yelled, and Logan looked over to see all four of them struggling to dash over towards the rat who was standing in the doorway. Predictably, since he had already been up and mobile before his brothers, Donatello was the first to reach the being they knew as their father.

Logan had to give him credit – he took Donnie into his arms without hesitation, and Logan could tell that Hitomi was keeping the others from falling over completely as they hustled over to their father. He heard April and Casey gasp, but he wasn't going to do much other than shoot them a look that said, 'told you so.'

"My sons," Splinter sighed happily as he wrapped his arms as far around the four now-human boys. Logan looked away from this rather touching moment. This really wasn't what he had signed up for, but it had to be done.

"I think I finally know what they did to your DNA and… oh, I'm sorry – I seem to have interrupted a family moment," Dr. Hank McCoy blinked as he came out of his laboratory. Everyone looked over at him. Logan had to hide a smirk at Casey and April's dumbstruck expressions.

"That's all right, Dr. McCoy," Leo told him as he stood up. Or at least, tried to. Logan grabbed his arm before he fell over. "Thanks," Leo told him with a sigh.

"Let's get you kids back onto a bed," Logan suggested with a smirk. "Mule, you keep out of it," he added sternly. He nearly groaned when her eyes flashed and she jutted her jaw forward. That always meant she was going to fight them.

"Hitomi, you need to stop overexerting yourself," Hank told her firmly. "I don't care if you want to help. If I have to, I'll have Charles 'talk' to you about this."

"Really, Hitomi, there are plenty of people here to help," Donnie added firmly. "We don't want you to hurt yourself on our account."

Hitomi let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine," she rolled her eyes as Logan helped Leo, Hank helped Mikey, Casey helped Raph, and Master Splinter and April helped Donnie back to the bed. Logan had to hand it to Donatello – it seemed that it was his argument that had won the battle with the stubborn girl.

"So what's this about their DNA?" April demanded after all of the turtles-turned-human were back on the two beds. She glared at Hank. "You took their DNA?"

"I only took Donatello's, and with his permission," Dr. McCoy replied calmly, undisturbed by her glare.

"It's okay, April – he's a geneticist, and he _did_ ask me first before he took a sample of my DNA," Donnie reassured his friend. "What did you find out?" he wanted to know of the doctor.

"In at least your case, it would appear that your DNA is now composed of two unique sets of DNA that I believe will allow you to change your shape between this form, and your original form," Dr. McCoy answered calmly. "The sample I have indicates that, while one DNA type is dominant, the other lies dormant. I believe that, with practice and training, you'll be able to change your shape between both forms consciously. I am not sure if the same is to be said about all of you, but it would not surprise me if it is."

"So we might be able to be turtles again?" Mikey asked hopefully. "Not that I don't like being human and all, but I like being a turtle," he added quickly.

Dr. McCoy chuckled. "Actually, that would not be an accurate statement, Michelangelo. My analysis of the 'human' DNA reveals that Donatello is also a mutant in same manner that the majority of the students here are mutants," he corrected. "I believe he will, at one point, develop powers. Of course, this may not be the case for all of you. I will not know for sure in either case unless I analyze each of your DNA. However, I will not force my analysis on any of you. Further, I would not suggest that any of you try changing your shape or discovering your powers until after you are more recovered. Both efforts would take a great deal of your energy supply, and that energy would be better used to regain your mobility."

There was a slightly stunned silence at his words before Leo glanced at his brothers. "It _would_ make sense to make sure that what's true in Donnie's case is true for the rest of us," he noted slowly. He looked at Master Splinter, trying to decide what to do. Normally they wouldn't allow it, simply because they couldn't trust most people. Yet the four of them had decided that they could trust at _least_ Hitomi, and Hitomi trusted Dr. McCoy. That suddenly made the answer clear, but he also knew he couldn't speak for Raph and Mikey. "I'm not sure about Mikey or Raph, but you can see if the same holds true for me."

"Dude, I wanna know if I'm gonna have powers, too!" Mikey bounced excitedly. "You can definitely test mine!"

With a slight growl, Raph nodded. "You might as well test mine, too," he shrugged, still eyeing Dr. McCoy suspiciously. "I'd rather know now if I'm stuck this way or not."

"Of course," Dr. McCoy agreed mildly as he pulled out three swabs. "I just need you to swab this on the inside of your cheek, and then I will start the analysis." After the three boys did as they were told, he carefully labeled the different samples and bid them farewell before he disappeared back into his lab.

"No matter what results that he may find, you will always be my sons," Splinter told his sons quietly. "I am glad to see you are all safe, if not whole."

"I'm glad that we're away from whoever has been doing this to us," Donnie admitted, frowning as he looked at his hands. "I can't imagine what they would gain by doing this to us, but it can't be good."

Logan had to restrain himself from growling. That statement was just too true for his comfort, especially coming from his past experiences. He wasn't going to make a suggestion on what the kidnappers might have been planning to do, that they might have just avoided, if he could help it. Seeing that he wasn't needed, and considering the situation, he decided he would leave. Unnoticed by anyone other than Hitomi, Logan made his exit.

"We're just lucky that they underestimated Hitomi here," Leo had to smile at the girl who had become their friend over the course of the day. "Otherwise we would still be unconscious without any way to help ourselves."

"So you are Hitomi Weber?" April asked the teenage girl.

"Yes," Hitomi confirmed. "I don't think I caught your names," she added with a grin.

"I think we were a little distracted when we first came in," April chuckled. "I'm April O'Neil

"I'm Casey Jones," was all Casey said as he surveyed the teenager.

"I am called Splinter, Miss Weber. I am most grateful for your efforts in rescuing my sons," Splinter told the girl sincerely.

"I couldn't just leave them there," she responded with a slight blush. "And I'm glad I did help," she added as she grinned at the four guys she sat on the beds with. "Otherwise I'd miss out on making four new friends."

"And if they had been turtles when you first saw them?" April wanted to know.

"I'd have done exactly what I did in the first place," Hitomi answered honestly. "Around here, appearances don't change how we react. One of my best friends here, Kurt Wagner, doesn't look normal at all, but he still _acts_ like a normal teenager."

"In other words, the only thing that would keep you from treating us as normal people would be if we acted like monsters," Donnie had to grin at her. Hitomi laughed.

"Precisely," she grinned back. "We don't call people who don't look normal a 'monster' or a 'demon' at all. Honestly, those terms are more a matter of opinion than anything else, really."

"I think we can agree with that sentiment," Donnie chuckled in response. "We've been called both a fair number of times."

"I bet," Hitomi had to smile at that. "Most people don't react well to anyone who isn't 'normal' by their standards," she continued. "Even a 'foreigner' such as myself gets treated with some fear and disdain."

"You don't _sound_ foreign," Donnie commented.

"That's because, most summers, Chichi – my dad – brought me to hang out with my cousins," Hitomi explained honestly. "My _American_ cousins, who live in Vermont. It's one of the primary reasons I'm bilingual. The rest of the time, we lived in Japan, with Haha's family. My mom's family," she specified, using the Japanese terms for her parents. She was more used to calling her dad 'chichi' and her mother 'haha' than anything else, and she still had trouble using the English terms for her parents.

"That _would_ explain it," Leo agreed with a chuckle. "And you're right about foreigners getting treated with fear and disdain. It's sad, but unfortunately true."

"It must be weird living in America during the school year, Hitomi," April commented as she looked at the girl.

"Chichi was recently transferred from working in Japan to New York City, and we moved with him," Hitomi answered with a shrug. "I mean my Dad… sorry, old habits die hard."

"Do not apologize – it is perfectly natural to call your father what you have called him your whole life," Splinter told her kindly. "As it must be natural to call your mother 'Haha.'"

"Yes, it is," she agreed with a sigh. "But everyone gets confused when I start calling my parents Chichi and Haha…"

"We actually know Japanese," Leo put in with a grin. "So we understand what you mean when you call your parents 'Chichi' and 'Haha.' Since you spent most of your time in Japan, you can't help but call them by those names."

"Precisely," Hitomi agreed with a smile.

"Shouldn't you still be saying '_my_ Chichi' when you talk about your dad?" April wanted to know, not being fluent in Japanese like nearly everyone else in the room. Casey, the other non-Japanese speaker, nodded in agreement.

"Actually, when Hitomi says 'chichi,' she can only be referring to _her_ dad. 'Chichi' roughly translates into English as 'my father,'" Donnie explained to his friends. "Similarly, when she calls her mother 'Haha,' she can only be referring to her mother, for the same reason."

"I see… so saying 'my Chichi' would be adding an extra 'my' in there when it's already implied," April had to grin at that. "That's handy – but how do they refer to other people's parents?"

"Someone else's father is 'otoo-san' and someone else's mother is 'okaa-san,'" Leo answered with a grin as Hitomi nodded.

"Precisely," she grinned. "Anyways, my family lived in America for about six months before I learned I was a mutant. I then came here for learning control."

"How much does it cost to come here?" Donnie wondered.

"Nothing – it's free," Hitomi answered honestly. "Professor Xavier has this dream of humans and mutants living peacefully, but he's also realistic. There are mutants out there who don't agree with that idea, and so Professor X wants to train us to work together to fight those mutants, and protect normal humans from them."

"That makes a lot of sense, actually," Leo had to admit. "I wonder if he'd let us stay here… at least until we're up and able to defend ourselves again."

"That is an excellent question, Leonardo," Splinter noted, before he turned his attention onto Hitomi. "Would you take me to see this Professor Xavier? I would like to discuss this with him."

"Yes," Hitomi agreed as she stood up. "He's probably in his office," she added as she headed towards the door. "I'll see you all later!" she finished as she lead Splinter out of the room.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Japanese**: For the most part, I won't be writing full sentences in Japanese unless I think having it not be understandable for a few chapters (except for those who either can read Japanese or tries their hand at translating it) will further the plot, in part because I've only taken one semester of Japanese. However, please be familiar with what "**Chichi**" and "**Haha**" mean. Hitomi will always use those, and I have already explained it. (Quick recap: Chichi means "my father" and haha means "my mother.") --- (As an interesting side note, the kanji for "chichi" also depicts the "too" (to-u) sound in "otoo-san," as the kanji for "haha" also depicts the 'kaa' sound in 'okaa-san.') I will figure out a way to let you know when characters are speaking in a foreign tongue without actually using it, but for now, don't worry about it. (It's under Mourning Star's Corner, fyi.)

**Forum**: I have posted a question in my forum thread for this story that I'd like anyone who is interested in where this story is going to check out and respond to. This is in part due to a realization I had a few days ago that I'd like to "fix" without going overboard. Basically, I want to know what people's opinion is of adding characters to this story without adding more super-powered OCs to it. (I'm NOT adding more OC mutants to this story - I made a promise of that and I'm keeping it.) Please look at the question I ask, and tell me what you think!

**DNA**: Honestly, I don't know if what I put is completely possible, but considering the fact that we're dealing with two universes where you have mutants, magic, and all that sort of mayhem, I figure it's probable. While X-men: Evo never actually did any of those things, I will point out that, in the comics (which Evo is based on), magic was a consistent occurrence. Look at Dr. Strange! And Magik! And Nightcrawler! (Okay, technically he's not a magician or sorcerer or anything like that, but he DOES have a unique heritage...) So please, don't yell at me. I'm not a geneticist, or an expert on the matter. And again, considering the X-men AND TMNT (2003-cartoon), well, anything is possible within reason, and I think that this is within reasonable. Plus it's critical to my plot, so... please don't throw rotten tomatoes!

That's all I have for now. Please **REVIEW**! And stop by my forum for a chat.

**~Star~**


	7. Ch 7, Discussions and Choices

Hello! Another chapter has arrived! Thank you to my four reviewers! This chapter underwent a few revisions in order to reflect my significantly altered plot. This is a good thing, as my changes are actually going to make the whole story a little more interesting (hopefully) then they would have been originally.

Also, I want to address the way I deal with telepathy in my stories. Here are the two types of telepathic powers that you will most commonly see in use:

_:Thoughts:_

_::Telepathic communication::_

**Disclaimer**: Sorry, I only own Hitomi.

**Ch 7, Discussions and Choices**

* * *

Professor Charles Xavier sighed as he looked down at the list of information that he had been able to garner from his contacts. There was very little on the list, and none of it was good. All Charles could think of it was that it was a good thing whoever kidnapped the five mutants had underestimated Hitomi, and that they were able to get them all out of there with relatively little trouble.

"Come in, Logan," he called as he surveyed the list again, trying to put together the whole picture based on the information he had available.

"Well? Did you find out anything useful?" Logan demanded as he entered the room, a grim expression on his face.

"Perhaps," Charles admitted with a sigh. "Whoever set up that 'company' used a false name, and as far as I can tell, most of the people who worked there didn't realize what was going on. And those who did know what was going on have vanished. I'm planning on meeting with a few of the company workers to try and figure out who might have an idea on what is going on, but they'd rather not go public with what transpired last night."

"Damn," Logan grumbled, an angry expression appearing on his face. "I don't like this, Chuck – it's not looking good at all. What did the ones who didn't vanish think they were doing?"

"They thought that they were studying DNA and researching ways to correct mutations, including mutant DNA," Charles answered, shaking his head. "I'll hopefully find more out on Monday, but until then, I'm afraid that this is all I have to go on. Whoever is _really_ behind this is clever enough to keep himself from being associated with this company. It is going to take a great deal of time and effort to locate him."

Logan growled at that. He wasn't a patient man, but it appeared he'd have to be to find the guy who was responsible for this whole mess. "You're going to get information no matter what, right Chuck?" he had to know.

"Yes, Logan – we need to know who is behind this. If I have to, I _will_ get the information that we need," Charles informed him firmly. "Even if it means I simply _take_ the information." He sighed. "If there is another way to locate the mastermind behind this, I would use that method, but there may be _no_ other method of locating him."

"I know, Chuck," Logan sighed. "But this is important – you said so yourself. We don't want this guy to try snatching another one of our students. We got lucky with Mule – we probably won't get that lucky again."

"Unfortunately, you're right about that. We were lucky that Hitomi has healing abilities that they didn't realize she had," Charles agreed with a grimace.

"Idiots," Logan snorted. "I still can't believe what they did to those kids. No one deserves that, and it pisses me off."

"I know, Logan," Charles smiled at that. "And I agree with you – it's horrifying, and it makes me wonder how Hitomi fits into the picture. Moreover, it makes me wonder what they were planning on doing to _her._" Logan merely growled at that statement, his eyes flashing angrily. "Now, you were there when Hank told them what happened to their DNA?"

"Yeah – that thing about them being able to shape-shift and being mutants like us, too," Logan nodded. "What about it?"

"It's curious, and very disconcerting. That indicates to me that their cover, particularly the 'correcting mutation' part, is false. They had a different goal in mind, and the results hint at a number of different goals, all of which are not good goals. I think that they were trying to create soldiers at the very least, and that means that, most likely, the next phase of their 'program' would be –" Charles explained.

"Controlling them," Logan interrupted, a snarl escaping from his lips at that.

"Yes, and the most likely method would be brain-washing them," Charles agreed with a heavy sigh. "As much as I hate to say this, it appears to have been a good thing that Hitomi was kidnapped as well as having been underestimated. She prevented them from experiencing something far worse than simply having their appearance change."

"Yeah," Logan agreed reluctantly, a scowl on his face. "It was lucky for all of us. Speaking of the kids, what's going to happen to them now?"

"We're about to discuss that now," Charles told him with a smile. "You may come in, Hitomi," he called, raising his voice. Logan rolled his eyes as Hitomi pushed open the door, and let Splinter in as well.

"Professor, this is Master Splinter, the father of the guys we rescued," Hitomi introduced the rat-like mutant politely. "Master Splinter, this is Professor Charles Xavier."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Professor Xavier," Splinter greeted politely.

"As it is a pleasure to meet you, Master Splinter," Charles responded with a smile.

"Well, I've got homework I should work on – I'll see you later!" Hitomi told them all and turned to leave.

"Hitomi, I would like to talk to you for a moment before you run off," Charles told her firmly. He knew the girl too well, and despite being told repeatedly to take it easy, she was determined to ignore them. Further, she was going to ignore what her own body was telling her just to prove she was stronger than they thought. If she continued to use her powers, the headache she had steadily growing would only get progressively worse. He couldn't allow her to injure herself like that. Hitomi stopped and looked back at him. "I would like you to take it easy for the next three days. That means no telekinesis, _unless_ it is _necessary. _If I have to, I _will_ ensure that you follow those instructions."

Hitomi glared at him, and her furious thoughts were like darts, but he easily held her eyes. He was quite serious about what he had just said, and she knew he was. He didn't usually threaten to force someone to follow instructions, but considering Hitomi's rather stubborn nature, he felt that he had to. He wouldn't threaten it if he didn't think it wasn't for her health.

"Fine," she agreed with a sigh before she turned and left the room. Charles could tell that she was serious, and would listen to him.

_:Point to Chuck,:_ he 'heard' from Logan, and had to hide a smile. Logan and Hitomi constantly went head to head, and only the fact that Hitomi was patient as well as stubborn helped her win most of her arguments with him. So far, Logan had 'won' only a few times, including the nickname he had given Hitomi. She had resisted it for three weeks before she finally figured out that he wasn't going to call her anything _but_ 'Mule.'

"It appears that you have trouble in keeping her from doing things her way," Splinter noted, amusement in his voice.

"Tch – that's why I call her Mule," Logan snorted. "Stubborn kid. I've never met _anyone_ who is more stubborn than her."

"She is difficult to handle at times," Charles had to agree. "Now, you aren't here to discuss Hitomi."

"Miss Weber has informed me that you are telepathic, and that she let you know what I wish to discuss with you," Splinter noted, with a gentle smile on his muzzle.

"Yes," Charles confirmed. "It is a rather startling revelation, which is why we have not told your sons yet. There is enough going on in their lives that they need to get used to before they learn about everything else."

"I understand," Splinter agreed calmly. "My sons and I were wondering if we might remain here, at least until they are able to move about as they were able to before all this happened."

"Of course – you may all stay as long as you'd like," Charles replied easily. "Actually, if I might make a few suggestions…"

"Please, continue," Splinter raised an eyebrow, curious now as to what Charles might be considering.

"It seems to me that, despite the shock of what has happened to them, they now have more opportunities than they did before," Charles explained. "I have a few contacts, and might be able to give them official identities, so that they might attend the local high school once they are able to move about more freely."

"Yes… it would be good to give them the opportunity to act as 'normal' teenagers do," Splinter agreed slowly. "But I do not wish to burden you with our presence."

"It would not be a burden, Master Splinter," Charles informed him. "In fact, Hitomi made a suggestion that makes sense. She 'told' me that you were trained in _ninjutsu,_ and that you might be willing to teach martial arts to the students here." _::That is, if you are all right with this, Logan,::_ he added silently.

_:It's not a bad idea, Chuck,:_ Logan thought back. _:I'm fine with it. It'll give me more free time to plan group training sessions.:_

Splinter seemed surprised, but grew thoughtful. "That does seem to be a good plan of action," he agreed thoughtfully. "I will have to think on it, and discuss it with my sons, but I do believe that this would be a good plan."

"Of course – you can let me know at any time if you would like to either take up my offer, or simply return home upon your sons' full recovery," Charles told him sincerely.

"Another benefit of staying here is that whenever their powers show up, they're going to have people who can help them control 'em," Logan put in suddenly. He shrugged when Splinter and Charles looked at him. "Just thought I'd put that out there – they _are_ going to have powers, at least from what Hank says, and powers tend tah cause problems right off."

"I see… still, I should discuss this with my sons, so that they can have a say in what we shall do," Splinter replied calmly. "If you will excuse me, I believe I can find my way back to the Infirmary."

"If you require any assistance, you can either ask anyone nearby or 'call' me," Charles told him easily. "As for your two friends, I suspect they have jobs that they can't abandon, and as such, I will give them the code to the gate, so that they might come and visit any time they wish," he added before Splinter bid him farewell, and left the room.

"Do you think they'll stay?" Logan asked Charles, frowning slightly in thought.

"It does seem likely, Logan," he answered with a smile. "Particularly since all four of the boys enjoy Hitomi's company. We'll have to see, though, if they wish to stay here."

* * *

"He invited us to stay on a permanent basis?" Leo blinked in surprise at the newest revelation that Splinter had just revealed. He had not yet mentioned the offer for them to go to school – that could wait until later. If they agreed to stay here on a permanent basis, he would wait until they were able to move about before he gave his sons that bit of information. They would have enough to think about as it was until then. They had been particularly interested when he had mentioned Charles' offer to give them official identities.

"Yes," Splinter confirmed. "As Mister Logan pointed out to me, once you are able to transform, as well as develop powers, you will need to learn control. Here, you are less likely to cause… problems, and you will have aid in learning control. In addition, they have offered to have me teach the students here martial arts."

Although it had not yet been confirmed, everyone in the group had decided to assume that Leo, Raph, and Mikey had the same situation as Donnie. It was easier to assume that their results would come back positive than the other way around, for it meant that they were not stuck permanently in their new forms. None of them wanted to breach the topic that maybe, _just_ maybe, they were permanently changed into normal, ordinary human beings.

"You know, it _does_ make sense to stay here on a more permanent basis," Donnie commented thoughtfully. "Especially since it _is_ true that they will be able to help us learn control over whatever abilities we develop."

"That, and we're completely accepted here," Leo had to point out, unable to resist the smile that spread across his face at those words.

"Yes, Leonardo," Splinter had to chuckle at those words. "No matter what we look like, we are accepted here." The few students he had encountered on his way to and from Xavier's office had simply blinked in surprise before going about their business as if they saw strange things every day, and it didn't matter to them. Which, considering their own status as mutants, was entirely possible.

"I'm for it," Mikey grinned. "It'll be cool!"

"It'll be nice to hang out with other teenagers, who are as unique as we are," Leo had to agree.

"Definitely," Donnie had to agree. "It'll be a whole new experience, and I've got to admit, I'm looking forward to it." Everyone looked at Raph.

"Eh, sure, why not?" Raph shrugged. "It'll be interestin', that's for sure. But what about Casey and April?"

"We live and work in the City – we can't stay here, Raph," April answered a little sadly.

"Yes, but I have been informed that both you and Mister Jones will be given the code to the front gate, allowing both of you to return to visit at any time," Splinter put in, knowing that that would make everyone feel better about the arrangements they were currently making.

"Sweet! So it's settled! We're staying here!" Mikey grinned, bouncing slightly. "And you guys can come up any time you want!"

"And we'll probably be able to go home during vacations," Donnie felt compelled to point out. "Most of the other students are going to be gone anyway."

"New York City won't be the same without you guys, but at least you're close by," April chuckled. _And safe,_ was her private addition. She wouldn't have to worry about them while they were here, considering the fact that they had revealed that Hitomi had been visiting her parents in NYC when she had been kidnapped. As long as they were safe, she didn't care where they lived. It wouldn't be as easy to visit them, but it wasn't impossible, either.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

One of my reviewers mentioned that Hitomi seemed like a **Mary Sue**. She's not - I don't allow my characters to be Mary or Gary Sues, period. Part of the problem is that this story, while having seven chapters, takes place over just barely a day, so within the story, I just haven't had time to fully explore her personality. However, I do have to point this out - I've never seen a Mary Sue as stubborn as Hitomi is. I mean, she's almost stubborn to the point that she could seriously injure _herself_ just to prove a point because she's so stubborn, even when she knows she's hurting herself.

As for the turtles' powers - don't worry, I know exactly what their powers are, and I'm not planning on going overboard. Since I can't reassure anyone of this without revealing my plans and their powers, let's just say that they are not going to have tons of powers or the ability to gain tons of powers.

That's all from me for now. Please **review!** Also, please visit my forum thread concerning this story - I really need my readers' opinions on the question I posed there. Thanks!

**~Star~**


	8. Ch 8, Welcoming Committee

Hello all! I want to thank TMNTxKreativ and Anon Crewmember for their kind reviews. As always, you inspire me to continue with this story. I think we're about one or two chapters away from a time-jump, so to speak, where we skip a few weeks in order to get to the more exciting part of the guys being able to move about more freely. I do want to say that I'm sorry, but the guys' powers aren't going to be revealed for several more chapters. I have a few plans and events I'd like to happen before they discover their abilities that hopefully you will enjoy.

**Disclaimer**: Hitomi's mine. X-men belong to Marvel (and now by extension, Disney) and TMNT belongs to... I think Nickelodeon, if I remember correctly. (Originally Mirage Studios, anyway.)

**Ch 8 Welcoming Committee**

* * *

Hitomi leaned against the back of the elevator as it moved downwards. She still couldn't believe everything that had happened in the past week. Her life had never really been 'normal' by either Japanese or American cultural definitions, but this past week had far exceeded her own definitions of 'normal.'

She couldn't wish that things hadn't turned out the way they had – she was exceedingly grateful that they _had_ turned out the way they did – but that didn't mean she would have _wanted_ her father to get into a fight and injured just so that she could end up helping four strangers escape from the prison they had been unknowingly trapped in. (She had to think of it that way, otherwise she'd lose the fragile pretense that she was completely fine and break down into hysterics – she didn't want anyone to see that.) Hitomi sighed as the elevator came to a stop and the doors open before she stepped out of the elevator.

At least she had finished her English homework before dinner. She hadn't been sure, earlier, if she should have gone back to hang out with the guys, but she did really have homework she had to finish for Monday. She didn't really feel like tackling her any of her other assignments at the moment, though. And she wanted to know how long the guys were staying here.

It was petty of her, but she really wasn't getting along with very many people here at the Institute. She hung out with Kurt, but only when he wasn't hanging out with any of the older students. And she really wasn't getting along with hardly any of the other new students, other than Rayne Sinclair. Until she had met the guys in the Infirmary, she had trouble relating to other people. Kurt had been easiest for her to relate to, as he had an appearance that was more unique than her own. After all, most Japanese people did not have natural red highlights or grey eyes. And as for school… well, they only saw the half-Japanese side of her, and didn't really want to associate all that much with her.

Despite her common Asian background, Jubilee wasn't a friend, either. The girl enjoyed shopping way too much, and spent most of her time hanging out with Armara or her boyfriend, Bobby, although that wasn't the _only_ reason Hitomi didn't like Jubilee. And while Hitomi held nothing against the rest of the older students, Kitty and Jean were a little too much like Jubilee to actually hang out with, Evan wasn't interested in any of the same things Hitomi liked, and Scott had no sense of humor whatsoever. (Kurt insisted he did have one, but Hitomi couldn't see it.)

In short, Hitomi really wanted them to stick around, at least for a few more weeks. Even if they only stayed until they were fully recovered, Hitomi didn't care. She liked all four of them, and would miss them once they left. She'd have to find out where they lived and try to visit them on weekends – but that was something she would worry about later.

Hitomi paused, schooling her face to a calmer expression before she pushed open the door to the Infirmary.

"Hey, Hitomi! There you are – where've yah been?" Mikey grinned at her, bouncing ever so slightly on his bed.

"I had to do some homework," she answered with a smile. "So I've been in my room up until dinner."

"Homework? Isn't it Saturday?" April blinked at her, surprised.

"Yeah, but I'd rather have as _little_ as possible to do tomorrow," Hitomi shrugged as she headed towards the group. "I normally try to have all my homework done for Sunday, so I can enjoy Sunday as much as possible."

"That _does_ make sense," April agreed with a chuckle. "Although I distinctly remember rushing to finish homework on Sunday night when I was in high school."

"Hey – Jean does the same thing I do," Hitomi smirked at April. "I think everyone else saves homework for Sunday, though. I just can't enjoy myself as much if my homework isn't done."

"Sounds like fun," Mikey grimaced, showing his dislike at the idea of homework. Hitomi had to hide a grin at that. "Man, this whole 'muscle atrophy' thing sucks," he complained as Hitomi sat down on one of the chairs Dr. McCoy had pulled out. "We won't get to check out the place or meet anyone for _ages!_"

"Mikey, we should be able to move about more in about a month, and be more or less recovered within three months," Donnie pointed out with a sigh. "It could be worse."

"At least it's just muscle atrophy," Hitomi put in. "That'll aid in your recovery."

"Exactly," Donnie flashed her a grin before he looked at his brothers. "Don't worry – we'll be back on our feet before you know it."

"You said up to three _months,_ Donnie," Leo had to point out. "That's not going to just fly by."

"You're going to be worn out, what with all the physical exercises that you're going to need to do in order to get back to normal," April remarked. "That'll make things go faster, too."

"Can we talk about somethin' else?" Raph growled. "I can't stand thinkin' about how long I'm gonna be stuck in this room."

"Wait – are you guys staying here?" Hitomi asked, surprised yet hopeful.

"Yes," Leo confirmed. "We were offered to stay here permanently, and we agreed."

"Where else are we going to get control over our powers?" Mikey grinned at her.

"That's awesome!" Hitomi grinned back. _Professor? Did they let you know?_ she thought loudly.

_::Yes – as you well know, Splinter knows about my telepathy, but I would prefer that the others learn at a later point, particularly Casey and April,::_ came the almost instantaneous response.

_Maybe we should have a party tonight – that way, they can meet everyone tonight and not feel so, well, trapped, _she suggested.

_::That is an excellent suggestion – I will discuss this with the other students, and get back to you,::_ Professor Xavier responded, and the 'presence' of him listening left.

"Isn't it? This is our next adventure!" Mikey laughed, bouncing on the bed he and Donnie sat on.

"Careful, Mikey," Donnie chuckled as he balanced himself on the bed.

"You haven't had enough adventure already?" Raph demanded, rolling his eyes at his exuberant brother.

"Hey – at least this time no one's trying to kill us!" Mikey pointed out cheerfully. Hitomi blinked at that statement, and looked between them discreetly.

"Thank Shell for that," Leo sighed, shaking his head.

"It's a long story," Donnie told Hitomi, proving that he had noticed her startled look despite her trying to hide it.

"Story time!" Mikey proclaimed, causing Hitomi to chuckle.

"Yes, and perhaps we should start at the very beginning, Michelangelo," Splinter told his son with another smile. "From what my sons have told me, they have not yet told you the story behind our origins."

"Not yet," Hitomi confirmed.

"Then let us start there, Miss Weber," Splinter responded. "It all began sixteen years ago, with a blind man crossing the road…"

* * *

"So, vhat do you zink zis meeting is about?" Kurt Wagner asked Scott Summers as he sat down next to the taller boy. He wasn't wearing his special, holographic image inducing watch at the moment, in part because he wasn't going anywhere else for the night, and everyone here were used to his rather unique appearance.

"I'm not sure, Kurt, but I think it might have to do with the guys that Logan and Hitomi rescued yesterday when Logan went to get Hitomi," Scott answered, shrugging.

"Oh, ja, zat vould make sense," Kurt agreed as Professor Xavier entered the room. All of the various conversations that were taking place quieted as he cleared his throat.

"I would like to make an announcement, as well as pass along a suggestion," the telepathic Professor announced, his eyes traveling over the crowd in front of him. "As you are all aware from my announcement yesterday, we have four guests in our Infirmary. They, as well as their father, have decided to join us here permanently. I would like to add that their two friends, although human, will be welcome back at any time. Now, Hitomi has suggested that, since they are currently suffering from muscle disuse atrophy, that we might make them feel welcome by hosting a party in the Infirmary, preferably tonight. I am perfectly willing to allow this if enough of you agree."

"Really? COOL!" Jubilee exclaimed, jumping up from her seated position. "Definitely!"

"I, like, totally agree!" Kitty agreed, her eyes shining. Kurt had to contain his own excitement, although he nodded enthusiastically. He would only celebrate if the party went from being a 'suggestion' to a 'definite.'

"It sounds like a good idea to me," Jean put in, a grin spreading over her face.

"Let's do it!" Bobby put in cheerfully. Kurt looked around and saw that most of the New Mutants were nodding their heads.

"Then I suggest that you all head down there and make yourselves acquainted with our newest members," Professor Xavier responded, a smile appearing on his own face. A bunch of the students, particularly Jubilee and Kitty, dashed off towards either the elevator or staircase.

"All right!" Kurt yelled happily, jumping up and doing a happy dance. "Party, party, part-eh!" he added with a grin, before he teleported straight down. Just as he was about to shout 'party,' he caught a glimpse of seven stunned faces and realized that he had forgotten his holo-watch. Although he did notice that one of the seven happened to look like a rat…

"Hey, Kurt, what's up?" Hitomi greeted, the corners of her mouth twitching as she fought not to laugh. Five of the seven relaxed visibly, and while the other two were still staring at him, they hadn't yelled, screamed, or panicked yet.

"Dude, that was a totally awesome entrance!" one of the four exclaimed, bouncing slightly on the bed. He wore an orange shirt, one that Kurt recognized as the shirt that he had decided didn't look good on him and he didn't want anymore.

Kurt flashed him a grin. "Zanks," he told the teen, encouraged by the reactions thus far.

"So you're Kurt – Hitomi told us about you earlier," the woman stated calmly as she stopped staring at him. Thankfully, the other person, this one a huge man, also stopped staring. "That definitely was a _unique_ way to enter a room."

"Ja, I'm Kurt Vagner," he confirmed. "Sorry – ve just decided to zrow you a velcoming party und I got a little excited…" he added sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Dude, you guys are throwing us a _welcoming party?"_ the boy in the orange shirt exclaimed, his eyes practically shining. "AWESOME!" Everyone had to laugh at that.

"Ja – everyone else should be coming down shortly," Kurt confirmed, grinning. "I don't zink I caught your names," he added.

"I'm Mikey!" the boy in the orange shirt proclaimed, grinning hugely. "This is so cool! It almost makes gaining two fingers worth it…"

Kurt looked in surprise at him, wondering what he meant. One of the other boys on the beds, this one wearing the purple shirt Scott had been glad to get rid of, noticed his confused look. "It's a long story – put simply, we didn't look like this originally," he explained kindly. "Originally, we looked like turtles, and had the same number of fingers as you do. I'm Donatello, by the way, but you can call me Donnie."

"Vo, zat's amazing," Kurt blinked at him, stunned. He decided to save the question of 'what happened?' for later.

"Tell me about it," Donnie sighed.

"I'm Leonardo," the boy wearing a blue shirt put in, a quirked smile on his face. "It's nice to meet you, Kurt."

"Yeah, what he said," the boy in the red shirt shrugged. "But I'm Raphael –most people call me Raph."

"I am called Splinter," the rat-like mutant introduced himself calmly.

"I'm Casey Jones," the huge man put in.

"And I'm April O'Neil," the red-headed woman finished the introductions. "Although I suspect we're going to go through the same thing once everyone else gets here."

"Most likely," Kurt grinned. "Ve have ze advantage over you, since you have more names to learn zan ve do," he added with a chuckle.

"True," Donnie had to laugh at that. "But at least it'll be at least mutual."

"Whose idea was it to have a party? I just gotta know, so I can thank them when I meet them!" Mikey piped up, bouncing excitedly. Kurt had to laugh.

"Zat's easy – you can zank her right now. Hitomi suggested it," Kurt grinned as Hitomi blushed.

"Um… how is that possible? I mean, you _just_ learned that we decided to stay here just barely ten minutes ago," Donnie stared at the girl, obviously trying to figure out how she managed that.

Kurt decided to come to her rescue. "Zat's easy," Kurt answered, hoping the Professor wouldn't mind. "Professor Xavier is a telepath, und she must have gotten his attention, und suggested it."

"A _telepath?"_ Mikey stared at him. "Okay… that's both cool _and_ a little freaky…"

"He doesn't intentionally listen in on our thoughts," Hitomi hastened to reassure him. "And trust me, we _all_ feel that way about telepaths – but they can't help it. That's their ability, just like I can't help being telekinetic and Kurt can't help but teleport."

"Ja," Kurt confirmed. "Zey don't mean to hear vhat ve're zinking, but sometimes it can come in handy," he added. "Like vhen Hitomi suggested zat ve hold a party to velcome you guys. Ze Professor zen told us, und we decided zat it vould be fun."

"Not to mention that it's not a school night, and there's no reason _not_ to," Hitomi guessed, grinning.

"Ja!" Kurt agreed cheerfully.

"Sweet!" Mikey grinned, looking at his bemused brothers and friends. Before anyone else could say anything, the door to the Infirmary opened, and Jubilee, Armara, Bobby, and Sam all came. "Hi!" he greeted them enthusiastically, a huge smile plastered across his face. Hitomi had to hide her own grin at Mikey's obvious enthusiasm. "Welcome to the party!"

"Aw, no fair!" Jubilee pouted at the teleporter. "I wanted to surprise them!"

"Did yah realleh expect tah beat Kurt, Jubilee?" Sam demanded, amusement in his voice. "Ah don' know abou' yeh, bu' _Ah'm_ not."

"Yeah, but _I_ wanted to tell them about the party!" Jubilee complained, scowling at the blue furred boy.

"Yah canna expect tah beh havin' everehthin' yahr way, Jubilee," Rayne Sinclair commented as she, Evan, Roberto, and Jamie entered the room. "It's rather selfish o' yah."

"Ja!" Kurt agreed with a grin as he crouched on the bed he had landed on. "Ve don't alvays get vhat ve vant."

"Especially someone who wakes the _entire_ girl's wing up with her alarm clock… or rather, the way she turns her alarm clock _off,"_ Hitomi put in, her eyes glinting at that.

"No one else complains as much as you do, Tomi," Jubilee retorted, frowning at the other girl.

"Hmm… let's see here… I'm _very_ sensitive to noise, and I'm a light sleeper. Why might you _breaking your alarm clock with fireworks every single morning_ drive me nuts?" Hitomi asked sarcastically. "Honestly, I have _no clue."_

"There's no need to –" Jubilee began hotly, glaring daggers at the other girl.

"Hi!" Mikey interrupted loudly, grinning broadly as everyone focused on him. "I'm Mikey! These are my bros Leo, Donnie, and Raph, our best friends April and Casey, and our father, Master Splinter!"

"Hi!" Jamie greeted the boy enthusiastically, unable to hide his relief at being able to halt the argument Jubilee and Hitomi almost always seemed to get into. "I'm Jamie!" he added as he bounced slightly, a grin spreading over his face. "Whoa!" he gasped as he lost his balance and knocked into Rayne, sending the two of them onto the ground. "Whoops," three Jamies grinned sheepishly at the Scottish girl. "Sorry."

"DUDE! THAT'S TOTALLY AWESOME!" Mikey yelled, staring in awe at the multiples.

"Whoa," Leo, Raph, and Donnie gasped at the same time as Mikey's shout.

The four youngsters stood up, and two of the three Jamies were reabsorbed into the original as he grinned at Mikey. "Thanks! And sorry, Rayne," he repeated, looking at the girl.

"Tha's okay, Jamie," she told the boy. "Jus' be careful next time. Ah'm Rayne Sinclair," she added, looking at the four boys, their father, and friends.

Just as Roberto was opening his mouth to introduce himself, the door opened again. "Snacks and music, coming through!" Ray called as he carried his portable stereo in. Kitty, Jean, and Scott followed, carrying in a variety of snacks and drinks.

"All right, now we can really get this party started!" Evan grinned, looking around as Ray turned on his stereo. "Oh – I'm Evan," he added, resuming the introductions.

After everyone introduced themselves, the four former turtles moved so that they could get to know people on their own, but were close enough that they could still chat with one another. Hitomi snuck out half-way through, in part because she wasn't that much of a party person, and in part because Jubilee kept glaring daggers at her. Around midnight, Logan finally showed up and sent everyone off to their beds, as well as leading April, Casey, and Splinter to rooms that they could spend the night in.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**TMNT Origin story**: I wanted to tell it in the story, but it seemed the most opportune time to switch perspectives. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the origin story (originally told in "Attack of the Mousers"), I'll repeat it. A blind man was crossing the street when a large truck almost ran him down. A boy saw this and ran to knock the blind man out of danger. In the process, he knocked a jar of four, infant turtles out of a smaller boy's hands, where the jar smashed and the turtles were washed into the sewer. The truck, which had swerved to avoid them, lost a metal canister out of the back. The canister fell into the sewers after the turtles, and smashed open, covering the four of them. Splinter, who at the time was a former pet rat living on the streets, took pity on them, washed them off, and took them back to his burrow. The next morning, all five of them were larger and more intelligent. From there, well, he raised them as his sons, and named them after a book on Renaissance painting he fished out of the sewer, and trained them in ninjutsu. Splinter learned ninjutsu from his master, a man called Yoshi Hamato (or put properly in the country of his birth, Hamato Yoshi).

I'm not all that satisfied with the ending of this chapter, although I can't see a better way to end it without going through an incredibly tedious set of introductions and saying exactly what happened at the party, which, while some of it would be entertaining, would take far too long to actually write to make this week's update. Plus it wouldn't all be interesting, and it'd take me forever to figure out exactly how everyone reacts.

By the way, I did not forget anyone for the party. The only student who did NOT attend wouldn't have anyway. The Infirmary is not big enough for Rogue to comfortably hang out without fear of accidentally touching someone when all of the students are there, and she's never been much of a party person anyway, especially after her powers showed up. So like I said - I didn't forget anyone.

Again, I'd like to ask you, my readers, to come to my Corner and tell me what you think about adding other mutants to this story (that are from the comics). Suggestions are most welcome.

Finally, please REVIEW! Thanks!

**~Star~**


	9. Ch 9, On the Horizon

Hello all! Sorry about the time of day this is coming out. My excuse is that I've kind of been... well, not as motivated to write this week, particularly early this week. And that has a good explanation, too. I've been in mourning. My great-aunt, the matriarch of my family, died early last Saturday, which I did not find out until after I had posted last week's chapter. She was amazing, quite simply, and was more like a great-gramma than an aunt. I'm going to warn you now - in a few chapters, I'm probably going to have characters who are hookers in honor of my great-aunt. And please - not the kind of hookers you're automatically thinking of! My great-aunt was an amazing hooker, and the _rugs_ she _hooked_ are works of art. So I'm thinking of giving Bayville High a hooker's club, for the rug-hooking kind.

All right, I want to extend my thanks to my three reviewers - your reviews were great, and warmed my heart.

**Disclaimer:** Hitomi's mine, but that's it.

**Chapter 9, On the Horizon**

* * *

Mikey yawned before he glanced at the clock. _Okay, so it's nine… that explains why Leo's up and trying to walk around. Note to self: there's a reason I like having my own room._ "Bro, maybe you should take it easy," Mikey told his brother as he sat up, hiding a yawn behind one of his hands. He noticed Donnie sitting on a bed across from where he had been the previous night.

Leo, of course, was collapsed on the floor, a look of pure frustration on his face as he looked up at Mikey. "There is only one way to regain our mobility, Mikey," Leo informed him as he began to struggle to get up. "I'm not going to just lay around all day."

"Yes, but you should take it a little more slowly, Leo," Donnie put in carefully as he stood up. "Trying to walk around as much as you were may not be the best thing to do our second day up," he added as he moved towards Leo. "After three months of being immobile, our bodies just aren't used to moving around like we're used to."

"Why did they do this to us?" Leo demanded softly, hitting the ground gently with his fist. "I hate feeling so… useless!"

"I wish I knew, bro," Donnie sighed as he reached Leo. He gripped the end of the nearest bed and offered a hand to his brother. "Let's see if I can help you up, okay?"

Leo sighed, and managed to grab Donnie's hand. After a moment of struggle, Leo was able to get back onto his feet, although he realized he'd have to sit down soon. "Thanks, Don," he smiled at his brother. "Let's sit down before we collapse onto the floor."

"That's exactly what I was planning on doing," Donnie had to smile back as he maneuvered himself around and onto the bed he had been gripping. Leo took a few careful steps forward and ended up gripping the end of the same bed, panting heavily.

_And I thought Raph was stubborn,_ Mikey had to grin as Leo continued to lean on the bed. He glanced at Raph, who was still asleep. _Lucky turtle… err… whatever,_ he mentally shrugged. Technically they weren't turtles at the moment, but thinking of his brothers as anything BUT turtles would take some time to get used to.

"This… stinks," Leo panted as he finally moved to sit on the same bed as Donnie, since it was the easiest bed to get to.

"Yeah, it does," Donnie agreed with a heavy sigh. "But _if_ we take it easy, we can exercise at multiple points in the day to slowly regain our strength. That'll help us regain our mobility, and then we'll be able to start practicing again. Until then, Leo, just take it easy."

_Like he ever does,_ Mikey had to hide a smile at that. Leo did not take things 'easy' after an injury. He would practice, even when he was told NOT to by their 'doctor.' (Donnie hated being called that, but as far as everyone else was concerned, he _was_ a doctor. He was the one who was able to take care of injuries that no one else could take care of, which was as good as being a doctor in Mikey's mind as anything.)

"So what are we going to do while we're 'taking it easy,' Donnie?" Mikey asked his brainy brother with a raised eyebrow. _Holy Shell, I actually have eyebrows now!_

"Uh…" Donnie frowned, obviously casting around for something to say in response. Luckily for him, the door to the Infirmary opened. The three of them turned and had to smile at the sight before them. Hitomi was carrying a tray of what were obviously fresh-baked muffins.

"Hi, guys – Professor Xavier asked me to bring you guys breakfast," she smiled at them as she headed towards Leo and Donnie. "Storm makes the best muffins, and since she had plenty of time this morning, she made them fresh."

"All right! Breakfast!" Mikey yelled, causing his still sleeping brother to grumble, turn over, and glare at him. "Morning Raph!" he grinned, glad that he was a few beds away from him. Given their tract record at moving about at the moment, it would take too much energy for Raph to get over to where he was. _Thank Shell for that. _"Can you bring me some of those?" he asked Hitomi with a grin.

"Of course," she grinned back as Donnie and Leo took a few each before she carried it over to him. "How'd you guys sleep?"

"Not bad," Mikey answered honestly as he took three muffins, deciding not to mention that he had been woken up by Leo collapsing on the floor. "Where'd you disappear to last night?" he pouted at her before she moved to take the tray to Raph, who was sitting up, looking only half-awake. "You didn't stay for the whole party!"

"I… I'm not a party person, to tell you the truth," she answered softly as she offered the tray to Raph, who rubbed his face before taking a few muffins for himself. "And Jubilee kept glaring at me, so I decided to go to bed at that point. You guys looked like you were enjoying yourselves, anyway."

"How can you not like parties?" Mikey stared at her, stunned by this revelation. "They're fun! And exciting! And you can meet awesome people at them!"

Hitomi hesitated for a brief moment before she sighed and set the tray down. "In case you haven't realized this, I do not look completely Japanese," she told him quietly. "I have _natural_ red highlights in my hair – most Japanese people do not. In addition, I have grey eyes. My mother was born in Japan to Japanese parents – I am, to say the least, unusual." She paused for a moment before she continued. "Any parties that we had in Japan, I was either not invited to, not welcome at, or treated as a foreigner at. The same thing happened here in the US. It is easy not to enjoy parties like that."

"Then next party we have, we'll make _sure_ you don't feel like that!" Mikey promised her fervently. "Even if it means kicking Jubilee out!" This statement, to Mikey's delight, caused Hitomi to laugh.

"I was wondering about your hair," Donnie admitted. "It _is_ an unusual color – I'm actually surprised that it's natural. It must have been hard growing up like that."

"_Hai,_" Hitomi confirmed. "It was very difficult, although I would imagine it was more difficult for you than it was for me."

"Heh – ain't that the truth," Raph snorted, sounding more awake than he looked a moment ago. "It ain't easy livin' unda th' streets fer yer whole life, but I bet it wasn't a picnic for you, either."

"No, not when most of your classmates only saw your odd hair and eye color," Hitomi agreed softly.

"Why didn't you just dye your hair if it was such a problem?" Donnie had to know. Hitomi shot him a startled look.

"We weren't allowed – that is to say, we weren't supposed to alter our appearance with hair dye," Hitomi answered honestly. "My school was… unique," she added hesitantly. "Only people from… from my clan, the _Shizuka na Kagami_ clan, are allowed to attend it."

"Wait – you're a _ninja?"_ Leo stared at her, startled by this revelation.

"Yes," Hitomi gifted him with a shy smile. "I normally hide it, as the _Shizuka na Kagami_ clan only exists for the tradition of training the next generation, and we don't want anyone to know that we still exist… but since you are all ninja yourselves… there is no reason to hide it from you."

"Dude – isn't the Silent Mirror clan, like, _legendary?"_ Mikey asked, looking around eagerly.

"Yes, Mikey," Donnie grinned. "They are most famous for their ability to blend in, and remain unnoticed. That's probably why they still exist, but aren't noticed."

"Exactly," Hitomi nodded, looking at her feet.

_Poor girl – she totally doesn't fit the whole 'blending in' thing,_ Mikey had to sympathize with her. Considering her unique appearance, she must've had it really rough at her school. However, considering the fact that he didn't want to make his new friend feel even worse about herself, he felt a distraction was in order. "What weapon do you train with?" he wanted to know, deciding that was the best way to distract everyone.

Hitomi blinked in surprise at the sudden change in topic, but luckily went with it rather than fight the change. "I train with two weapons, actually," she answered softly. "Since I… didn't have very many friends, I spent more time with training and my other hobbies than I did… socializing," she told him honestly. "My sensei chose the naginata for me, and I later started to train with the sais."

"Cool! You can train with Raph!" Mikey grinned before he suddenly realized. "Wait – what happened to our weapons?" he looked around, hoping to spot his beloved nunchakus.

Donnie sighed. "Unfortunately, I didn't see them on our way out, and I… don't think we'll ever find them again, Mikey," he told his brother sadly. Mikey felt like someone had just sucker-punched him. Raph looked ready to kill, and Leo looked upset.

"If you guys don't mind me asking… what weapon do you each specialize in?" Hitomi asked hesitantly.

"The nunchaku," Mikey answered sadly, unable to stop the pout that was forming on his face. He really loved those weapons, and it hurt to never see them again.

"I trained with double katana," Leo answered, his voice firm despite the sad expression still on his face.

"The sais are my weapon of choice," Raph growled, wishing he could put his hands on either his weapons or the guy who took them from him. "I'm gonna kill whoever took them from me!" he snarled.

"I don't think we'll ever figure that one out, Raph," Donnie sighed. "The bo is my weapon," he added for Hitomi. "At least my weapon is easy to replace…" It was clear that Donnie wished he could easily replace his brothers' missing weapons, but honestly could not think of a way to help his brothers out.

"I can't imagine what you're all going through," Hitomi told them all quietly. "I mean, there is so much that you need to get used to in order to cope – like suddenly having five fingers." Hitomi looked at her right hand. "I bet you guys don't even know what you look like," she added with a small smile as she looked up at everyone.

"Dude – you're totally right!" Mikey realized with a gasp. "And there's no mirror in the bathroom! It's a crime!"

"Why isn't there a mirror in the bathroom?" Leo couldn't help but ask, frowning slightly. "I can't think of any reason for there _not_ to be one."

"Oh, trust me, there is a reason. Evan almost hurt himself when he came down with a really bad cold with the mirror," Hitomi explained, shaking her head. "Dr. McCoy was making sure it _was_ just a cold. After Evan was done using the facilities, but before he left the bathroom, he… sneezed."

"And this almost hurt him… how?" Raph frowned at her.

"Evan can produce bone spikes," Hitomi answered, bemused. "When he sneezed, he produced a lot of little ones… that completely shattered the mirror, and the some of the shards of the mirror almost cut Evan. Professor Xavier decided it would be safer not to have a mirror in the medical bathroom. I'd offer to borrow a hand mirror from someone, but I'm pretty sure that all of the hand mirrors in the Institute are pink."

"Eww," Mikey scowled. "No thanks. We manly men don't use pink hand mirrors."

"Comin' from you, Mikey, that's rich," Raph snorted. "Mister High-Pitch Squeal himself. I'm sure it'd be just fine for you."

"Hey!" Mikey protested. "I don't want to use a pink mirror!"

"I have an idea that doesn't involve pink anything," Hitomi interrupted the argument loudly. As soon as all four of them looked at her, she continued. "I have a camera in my room that I can use to take your picture. I'll print it out from my computer, and bring it down."

"Perfect," Donnie told her, relieved at the simple, face-saving solution.

"Cool! Our first human picture!" Mikey bounced excitedly, grinning. "And we'll get to see what we look like! After all, it's hard to describe what we look like to each other."

"It can be," Hitomi agreed with a chuckle. "I'll be right back," she added before she left the room.

* * *

"So you lost them," a man in a dark cloak commented dryly, raising an eyebrow at the half-furious, half-terrified man standing before him. "How, precisely, did this happen?"

"My men found a young woman who had telekinesis," the other man grumbled. "They captured her on my orders to see if we could enhance her as well, but before we could do anything, someone came and rescued all five of them!" He spat on the ground away from the cloaked figure. "If my men had not been so foolish, I would have had _five_ new warriors to send after my enemies! But as you can see, it was not _my_ doing," he added quickly.

"How far were they in your experiments?" the cloaked figure demanded, his gaze trained on the other man's face. "Did your people manage to complete any part of… _our_ experiment?"

"Yes," the man complained. "They had just finished confirming that the transformations were stable when they found the girl and brought her in. They did not get a chance to perform the control phase of the experiment!"

The cloaked figure grinned. "Then all is not a total loss," he told the quivering man silkily. "For you see, my friend, it was never _my_ intention to turn those turtles into assassins. That was _you_ goal. I was far more interested to see if the genetic manipulation would make them… worthy specimens, fit to populate the next generation. The only concerns I have are to where the creatures are now, and how long I must wait until I might test their worthiness. I do not care if _your_ goals are ruined."

The other man spluttered, furious at this statement. "How will you test that without _my_ goals?" he demanded angrily. "Why should I continue relaying this report to you?"

"While you were busy capturing and altering the four specimens, _I_ was busy gathering a team of fighters, to do my bidding whenever and wherever I need them," the cloaked figure smirked. "And I would not leave out any details of the last report you received from the men working this project… Particularly since you seem to be in a… precarious situation, considering the Shredder is the one who informed you of them in the first place. He will be most displeased if he should find out that the creatures you promised to capture and 'take care of' are alive, free, and still have their own wills."

The man spluttered again, this time horrified by the amount of information the cloaked figure knew. "How… how do you know that?" he whispered.

"My dear sir, I have many methods of intelligence gathering that you are woefully ignorant of," the cloaked figure replied. "Now… tell me what the rest of the report has to offer."

"What will you do to the creatures?" the other man wanted to know, knowing he would have to tell this man everything, or risk certain death, whether immediate or eventual.

"Should they pass my test, I will leave them alone," the cloaked figure shrugged. "At least, for now. However, should they fail my test, I cannot allow pitiful specimens to cloud the mutant gene pool. They shall perish… instantly." At this, he began to laugh, a sound that sent chills down his companions back.

* * *

"Okay, I'm back," Hitomi grinned as she entered the room, holding four 8x10 pictures in her hands. At this point, April, Casey, and Master Splinter had all arrived, and were interested to see the four boys' reaction to seeing what they looked like. She quickly handed the photographs out to the boys, and waited to see their reactions.

All four of them were Caucasian, and were very different in their appearance. Donnie had wildly curly, dark brown hair. His eyes were now a deep blue, almost the color of the night sky, and he had an almost heart-shaped face.

Leo almost looked Japanese, although the face structure was a little off for that, and his eyes were not quite almond-shaped. However, his hair was very straight, and very black. His eyes were a light brown, almost hazel in color.

Mikey had slightly wavy, dirty blonde hair, making it almost a light brown in color. However, there were enough light blonde highlights in his hair to give his hair an overall blonde color. He had bright blue eyes, almost the color of the sky, and he had an oval-shaped face

Raph had wavy hair that was a dark red. His eyes were a deep, forest green, and he had an angular face. In his picture, he had attempted a smile, although it looked more like a smirk than anything.

"Jeez, is that really me?" Raph blinked down at his picture. Considering all four of them didn't have hair long enough to pull forward to see, Hitomi couldn't blame him for doubting it. Mikey leaned over.

"Yup, that's really you, bro," Mikey grinned at his brother. "I'm hot! See?" he added happily, shoving his picture in front of Raph's face, who pushed it back in annoyance.

"I can look at _you,_ knucklehead," Raph growled at his brother. "I don't need to see a _picture_ of you."

"So what do you guys think?" April wanted to know, looking between them. "Do you guys think you can live with what you look like?"

"I don't think we have a choice in the matter, April," Donnie pointed out with a grin, looking at his own picture. "After all, we can't go back and ask for a do-over."

"Not that we'd _want_ to," Leo pointed out with a scowl. He looked down at his photo. "Even if we can't live with it, we'll have to get used to how we look."

"I wish we had mirrors that you guys could use," Hitomi sighed regretfully. "Even if you looked at those photos every day until you leave the Infirmary, you won't be able to get used to looking at a mirror and seeing your reflection out of it."

"How long are you guys staying in this room, anyway?" Casey wanted to know, looking around.

"At least a few weeks, until we can walk a certain distance without collapsing," Donnie answered firmly, his brothers nodding in agreement. That was what Dr. McCoy had told them when he had reappeared to confirm that all four of them had similar genetic structures. He would be starting them on a physical therapy regiment starting the next day, so that they could start on their road to recovery. "Then we'll get our own rooms in the boys' wing."

"And a proper tour of the Institute," Hitomi put in with a smile.

"Hopefully it'll go by fast," Leo added with a sigh. "At least we can borrow books from the school library to entertain ourselves for when we _aren't_ going through physical therapy."

"Or the manga that the library has," Mikey piped up, a grin spreading over his face. He wasn't inclined to read normal books, but manga fell into the same category as comic books, and the Institute's library, according to Jamie, had an extensive manga collection.

"It sounds like you've figured everything you need to out, at least for the first few weeks," April chuckled, smiling at her friends. "Casey and I talked it over, and we'll try and visit every weekend, at least until you guys are recovered enough that you can visit _us_."

"Cool!" Mikey grinned at them. "That's awesome!"

"It'll give us somethin' else tah look forward tah," Raph agreed, letting out a gusty sigh. "I _hate_ feeling so trapped!" he burst out angrily, clenching his fists. "I _hate_ feeling so _weak!"_

"We all do, Raph," Leo gently reprimanded his brother before he sighed.

"Unfortunately, there's not much we can do to rectify the situation except for what we've already got planned," Donnie put in, grimacing. "There is no 'instant fix' for this one." He didn't say what was most prominent on his mind – that they were lucky, far more lucky than they usually seemed to be. Whatever had been planned for them, whatever cruelty they had managed to avoid, Donnie was grateful. He could live with a temporary problem, as muscle disuse atrophy really was, and he could live with being 'human,' so to speak, anyway. What he couldn't deal with was every idea or hypothesis that came into his mind concerning what _might_ have happened to them had they stayed unconscious and trapped where they had been.

"Can't blame a turtle for hoping," Raph half-grumbled, half-sighed.

Master Splinter had met all of the students, and he could only foresee problems with two of them. Scott Summers was severely crippled by his need to wear his ruby-quartz sunglasses, which kept his optic blasts from destroying everything in his sight. Rogue (she had a real name, but far preferred being called that name) had a power he would not wish on anyone, although he would not wish that his greatest enemy had her ability. She was able to gain a person's memories, life force, and powers through a single touch. If she held on long enough, she could kill a person. The Shredder might enjoy the killing aspect of it way too much, and considering his true nature, it would be easy for him to deal with the downside of Rogue's powers.

She could not touch someone without fear of hurting them, for she could not control her powers. That lack of control was, in fact, the problem that he would face while training her. However, she would have to fight through his fur in order to absorb his memories and life force, and that would make things… easier. When it came down to it, the problems he faced were challenging, but not impossible to deal with.

Hitomi Weber continued to surprise him. She was one of the best at her age he had ever seen with the naginata, and it would be interesting to see how she measured up to his sons, once they were back in practice, that is. With the sais – and he had tested her – she was well above what he would call a 'beginner' status, but nowhere near the level that Raphael was.

Her shy explanation when he had inquired to her skill level with the naginata was that she hadn't had very many friends growing up, and as a result had spent more time with her training and hobbies than she had socializing. The more he learned about the girl, the more he felt that she was hiding insecurities from the others that, if pushed, would break her. He would bet that there were two reasons she hid them from others. The first was straightforward and obvious – Hitomi was too stubborn to let them see her faults. The other was one she hid from most, but had shared with his sons and himself. She was the daughter of a famous ninja clan, which had trained her to blend in. Her faults made her stand out, in a way, so she had trained herself to hide them.

Master Splinter would be taken back to New York City to gather some personal possessions from their home, as well as the rest of the food items that they had. He would collect a few of his sons' possessions as well, so that they might not be as bored as they would be without them.

There were two sides to this current situation. There was the painful side, where he had been in for the past three months while they had searched without any clue for his missing sons. They were in distress, although they didn't really realize it yet, because of their newly altered forms. It would be weeks, possibly months, before they were truly used to their new forms. There were the months of rehabilitation that they must get through as well, which would stress all four of them out. And there was the unknown, the man who had done this to his sons, that must somehow be found, and dealt with.

Then there was the positive side to this situation. His sons were safe, and they were in a place full of people who not only took in bizarre appearances as though it was normal, but had already started to befriend his sons. James Madrox, also known as Jamie, already appeared to adore Michelangelo. It warmed his heart to see his sons, who had been forced to be reclusive by their natural appearances, mingle with people who, for the most part, had not been.

There was also his new position. Master Splinter enjoyed teaching youngsters, as he had discovered over the years from teaching his sons, and this new opportunity warmed his heart. Further, he could see interest from the students in being taught the techniques he had to offer. His sons would, finally, be able to blend almost seamlessly into the human society, or at least as well as the rest of the students here did. This would be particularly good for Donatello, who would finally be able to join the scientific community as he has longed to do for so long.

Overall, this might be a good change for them. He could not say for sure if it would, for he could not see the future, but the signs were good. Indeed, most of the painful parts of the situation were temporary, and could eventually be put behind them. The good things were more lasting, more permanent changes. He would just have to wait to see what else the future held.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

So now you have a hint at the villains. One of them is an OC, the other is not. I'm letting you figure out which is which, and who the non-OC is. Trust me, I gave some hints during that conversation - subtle hints, though. You'll have to really know the characters of all the associated versions of TMNT or X-men to be able to figure it out. (I'm not telling you which - that'll give it away, and half of the reason for the anonymity is that you are going to find out who it is eventually. If you want to guess, you can, and I'll let you know, eventually, who is right and who isn't.) I wish there was another time I could do this scene, but considering the timing, it HAS to be now. If I had this conversation any later, it wouldn't make as much sense. As it is, it's two days after the guys were freed. Weeks later, and the guy in the cloak would be furious. The only problem is that this occurs a long time before the guys are going to be ready for the 'test' that the guy in the cloak is planning.

I was planning Hitomi's ninja past from the beginning - it's why she's half Japanese. _But_ I'm still working hard to make her not a Mary Sue, and there are plenty of reasons that her ninja background is more a hindrance than a blessing, particularly for someone who doesn't look like everyone else. As I've already mentioned, her hair and eye color kind of work against her for this.

The next chapter should still come out next week, and hopefully earlier in the day than this one did. Also, we'll be jumping a few weeks ahead in time. There isn't much left to write at the present, mostly because there isn't much left that is very interesting to write at the present.

Please review! You can also check out my forums. Speaking of my forums, I am trying to hammer out a birthday for each of the four turtles. If anyone has suggestions for that, please come to **TMNT Centric**, where I have a thread just for that. I used the western astrological signs to narrow it down to about a month for each of the turtles, and I'd like input for the actual dates. Let's just say I have some fun ideas for it, and I like knowing this sort of thing anyway. There aren't any official birthdays. (I've got more explanations for my reasoning for the topic thread. If you're interested, please check it out.)

**~Star~**


	10. Ch 10, Plans for Life

Hello everyone! I'm really, really sorry about missing last week's update. I lost my internet connection for a few days, then to top it all off, I lost power for a day or so. Nice, huh? By the time I had both back, it was the middle of the week, and I decided to just wait until today to post this chapter and hope you'd understand. Hopefully this won't happen again without warning. Speaking of warning, there may be two weeks at the end of July that I might not have anything for you. I have a two-week, intensive class then, as well as a good friend's wedding I need to attend. But don't worry about that just yet - I might be able to write enough to cover it anyway.

Thanks to TMNTxKreativ for the review for the last chapter! It was much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** As always, Hitomi's mine, but that's it.

Chapter 10, Plans for Life

* * *

It had been three and a half weeks since they had arrived at the Institute, and Donnie couldn't help but hide a smile as Dr. McCoy told him that he, at least could finally leave the Infirmary. His brothers were almost ready to leave as well, but were not quite there. "I believe all four of you will be in your new rooms by the end of this week," Dr. McCoy had told them firmly as soon as he had announced that Donnie was ready.

It was a relief to finally be able to leave. While he loved his brothers – spending the past three and a half weeks in the same room as them was starting to drive him mad. The only saving grace was that they had their new friends visiting almost every afternoon, and they had plenty of reading material available to them. Even Raph, who hated most books with a passion, enjoyed a few of the ones brought down. Of course, those tended to be books on mechanics and motorcycles. Mikey, of course, tended to only read the manga and comic books that they had in the Institute library.

The door to the Infirmary suddenly opened before Dr. McCoy could continue, and they all looked to see Hitomi walk through the door. "Ah, perfect timing, Hitomi," Dr. McCoy beamed at her. "I would like you to take Donatello up to the room we have prepared for him and give him a tour."

"Oh?" Hitomi blinked in surprise before she grinned. "That's great! I guess that means that everyone will be ready to get out of here soon, then?"

Dr. McCoy chuckled. "Indeed. Raphael, Leonardo, and Michelangelo are nearly ready themselves, but I'd like to make sure that they can move around for a longer period of time without getting exhausted before they can leave as well, but I think that won't take more than another day or two," he confirmed. He took a glance at the nightstand beside Donnie's bed. "I would prefer if you carried Donatello's things up to his room, Hitomi – particularly his laptop."

Donnie had to grin at that. When Master Splinter had returned to their home for personal possessions, he had also brought some of their items. One of them had been his laptop – and it had been a good thing he had gotten it. Don had spent the first week feeling extremely frustrated as he attempted to type on his laptop. He couldn't believe the difference between typing with three fingers and five. At least the second week he had been able to type more or less like humans do, and at this point he was regaining the speed he had been able to type at before he had turned human.

Regardless of his ability to type, if he had to carry his laptop up to his new room, he was far more likely to fall over or drop it than he was to make it there okay. Hitomi would be able to carry them without having either problem – which Donnie had to admit to himself, silently, that he was envious of. He missed being able to move around and do things with the carelessness that everyone else currently had, and which he himself had had before this had happened.

"Of course," Hitomi smiled. The box of clothes that was Donnie's, although most of the clothes were actually lent to him than actually his, and Donnie's laptop both floated up and to Hitomi, who caught them in order to carry them. "You ready?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Donnie answered before he looked at his brothers. Mikey had a look of longing on his face, and obviously wished he could leave as well. Raph looked angry – and almost jealous. Not that Donnie could blame him. Leo looked like he was trying, and failing, to hide his jealousy. "I'll come back and tell you everything I see, bros," he promised, hoping that would ease some of the jealousy that they were obviously feeling.

"You better, bro!" Mikey grinned weakly at him, while Raph huffed and looked away and Leo nodded in agreement. "We'll be expecting you!"

"Let's go," he told Hitomi, and followed her out. She led him down the hallway, past the room that was their physical therapy room, and into an elevator. Since her arms were full, she telekinetically pushed the button that said '2,' and the elevator lurched upwards.

"I think you're going to like your room," Hitomi told him with a grin. "It's actually underneath my new room – everyone got tired of the argument that Jubilee and I would get into, so the teachers had me move into a small teacher's room on the third floor. I say 'small,' but that's only because it's small in comparison to the other teacher's rooms. It's actually exactly the same as my old room, except it has a personal bathroom."

"That's great," Donnie grinned. "I bet everyone else is thrilled, too. How many times did you and Jubilee argue?"

"I've lost count," Hitomi chuckled. "It's not hard to argue with Jubilee about it – I can't count the number of times I've tried to sleep in, and she'd wake me up, even though we had rooms on the opposite ends of the hall." Hitomi rolled her eyes. "Now I don't have that problem – and I have a great view of the ocean." The elevator came to a stop, and she headed down the hallway. "One that you'll have too, actually," she added with a smirk. A door part-way down the hall on the left opened.

"I assume that's my room," Donnie noted when no one came out of it, another smile tugging at his lips.

Hitomi laughed as she paused right in front of it. "Of course it is," she grinned at him. "Tell me what you think," she added, her eyes twinkling.

Donnie turned to go into it, but stopped. Leaning against the bed was a bo staff. It wasn't his – there wasn't even a grip on it – but it was there, waiting for him. His jaw dropped.

"Logan figured that you and your brothers would like to have… well, not your old weapons, but the weapons that you and your brothers are used to," Hitomi told him softly. "He told me that he figures you're used to having them, and while we don't want you running around with them, it wouldn't hurt to have them."

By that time, Donnie had his hands wrapped around the bo, and was trying to define the feelings that were running through him. He had never not had a weapon in his life, and the past few weeks, while he hadn't actually _needed_ a weapon, he had felt almost naked without it. The bo, while not his last one, felt reassuring in his hands.

Despite the thoughts and emotions swirling through his head, he nonetheless had heard what Hitomi had said. "He got weapons for Leo, Mikey, and Raph, too?" he blinked at her as she set the laptop and box on the desk that sat under a mirror. The mirror startled him for a second as he spotted himself in it, although it took him a minute to realize that was who was looking back at him.

"Yes," Hitomi smiled at him. "Raph has the room right across from yours, Leo has the room just beyond yours, and Mikey has the room opposite Leo's. You can check their weapons out for yourself, if you're curious. Logan wants them to be a surprise for you guys for when you move out of the Infirmary."

Donnie looked down at the weapon in his hand. "It's a pretty nice surprise," he said softly. He leaned it back against the bed and moved to check out the window. "You're right about the view," he had to smile as he opened the sliding door, leading out to a small balcony. He looked up and saw that, while the room that was Leo's had the same size balcony, the room above Leo's had a much bigger one. "Whose room is that?" he pointed to the balcony.

Hitomi stepped out onto the balcony and looked up. "Storm's," she answered with a grin. "Her balcony has a lot of plants on it, and you should see our attic. It's practically a greenhouse, except it doesn't have the right roof for that. My room's this one," she added, pointing at the balcony right above his. "You ready for the tour?"

Donnie shot her a smile. "You bet."

* * *

Donnie yawned as he sat up on his bed, finally used to the sensation of running a hand through his hair instead of just rubbing a bare head. As his eyes opened blearily, he caught sight of the mirror, and nearly had a heart attack. Just as he had suspected last night, his own reflection had startled him into thinking there was someone else here. With a sigh, he flipped the covers off of him and moved towards the mirror.

It wasn't that he wanted to take his bo and break the damn mirror, because he did, but he knew that he'd have to get used to his own reflection and fast. No, he was going to stand in front of the mirror and start getting used to his new reflection. He might have kept his picture that Hitomi had taken that first weekend, but that didn't mean he was used to seeing himself move in a mirror. _As if growing up a mutant turtle wasn't enough, now I have to get used to being a mutant human,_ he thought with annoyance as he glared at the mirror. _And that'll take until after whatever powers I supposedly have manifest._

He had been wondering, for a while now, if he could convince someone to get at least himself into the local high school with everyone else. Quite simply, that would be the best way to start on his dream of becoming a scientist or engineer, or both. He wasn't sure who to mention it to, and he hadn't wanted his brothers to think he was either insane or a geek. They already thought that about him enough as it was, what with the gadgets he enjoyed making and the computers he used.

After another minute of staring at the mirror, Donnie got dressed and headed down to the kitchen. When he arrived, he stopped dead in the doorway. Inside was pure pandemonium. There were five to ten Jamies running around, grabbing food. He spotted Kitty walking through a few people to grab something to eat, and food was floating well above the heads of the students. Kurt clung to the ceiling as he grabbed some food for himself.

"Yah look surprahsed," came a voice to Donnie's left, and he looked to see the last of the students at the Institute that he had met. In fact, he had never seen her until last night, as she had never visited the Infirmary while he was down there. Known only by her codename, Rogue had very distinctive hair, with two locks of white hair framing her face, while the rest of her hair was a chestnut brown. She had this bemused look on her face.

"Uh… I guess I am," Donnie admitted, turning to stare at the sight before him. "Is it always like this?" he had to know.

"Most o' the tahme, yes," Rogue answered with a shrug. "Sometahmes it's worse, but onleh on school days. Anehways, Ah gotta get mah bag from mah room." Donnie moved to let her get out of the door, and tried to figure out how he was going to deal with the sight before him.

"Hey, Donnie!" Hitomi grinned as she walked up to him, an apple in her hand. "You look a little lost," she chuckled as he glanced at her.

"I'm trying to figure out the best way to get my breakfast without becoming road kill," he told her with a grin, causing her to laugh.

"That's easy, if you can wait a bit – we'll all be out of here in about ten, fifteen minutes," she responded. "This hullabaloo is the result of having to cram breakfast in before school," she added with a sweep of her hand, indicating the still fighting mass of teenagers. "Saturday we don't have this, and Sunday we have a school wide brunch at ten."

"That's… good to know," Donnie decided, looking at the slowly calming chaos of the kitchen. _I guess I'm not as used to this whole thing as I thought I was,_ he decided as he watched the wolf-girl, Rayne, run up to the table with something in her mouth and shapeshift back to normal.

He heard Hitomi chuckle and he looked at her. "It takes a while to get used to all of this," she told him with a sympathetic grin. "But don't worry – I'm sure you will."

"Thanks," Donnie gave her a sheepish grin. "I bet telekinesis comes in handy for this sort of thing," he added, indicating the chaos.

Hitomi chuckled again. "You didn't think all that the floating food was _just_ Jean, did you?" she teased.

Donnie had to laugh at that. "I think I was still in the act of processing everything I was seeing to actually associate what I was seeing with the correct individual, other than the obvious," he answered with a smile. Hitomi grinned and looked at the clock.

"Oh – I should probably run up and grab my backpack. Whoever's driving today is going to be heading out soon," she added in explanation. "I'll see you this afternoon!" she continued before she headed out the door – to the outside, where she floated up and out of sight.

_That's definitely going to take some getting used to,_ Donnie decided. He was, by now, more or less used to objects floating around without anything visible holding them up. Seeing people fly like Hitomi just did was something else entirely.

"Okay, everyone, I hope you're ready," Ororo Monroe called as she stepped into the kitchen. "I expect everyone who is not catching a ride with Jean or Scott to be on the bus within the next five minutes."

There was a sudden rush of activity, with most of the students rushing out of the door. Ororo looked at Donnie and smiled. "Dr. McCoy will be here shortly to get breakfast for your brothers. If you'd prefer, you can wait and join them. Otherwise, you're still expected for physical therapy at nine," she informed him kindly, before she turned and left.

Jean gave him an encouraging wink before she and Scott, the last two students in the kitchen besides Donnie, left the room. Donnie looked around at the now deserted room, and couldn't help but smile. Despite the pandemonium he had watched unfold here, he could tell that, once they were actually able to run around and not fall over at the most unexpected moments, he and his brothers would fit in here perfectly. He also couldn't wait to tell his brothers about _this._

* * *

Leo could stop his smile as he followed Donnie out of the Infirmary that afternoon. Donnie was carrying the fairly light box of Leo's clothes, since Dr. McCoy decided he didn't want Leo to carry it up himself. Dr. McCoy had assured both Mikey and Raph that they would be able to leave tomorrow, but Leo was permitted to leave today.

He almost floated out of the Infirmary, which over time had slowly started to feel like a prison, despite knowing that it _wasn't_ a prison. That feel probably was in part because of his brothers. They didn't mean to get on each other's nerves, but they were all feeling the strain of not being able to move around much. He would be sleeping in an individual room, without his brothers bothering him, for the first time in weeks.

"I think you're going to like your room, Leo," Donnie told his brother with a grin as the elevator stopped on the second floor. "You're room, like mine, has a good view of the ocean."

"Really?" Leo blinked in surprise at that as Donnie lead him down the hall. "Where's your room?"

"This one's mine, that's Raph's," Donnie answered, indicating a door on the left before one on the right. "Mikey's is just across from yours," he added as he passed his room. "This one's yours," he finished as he stopped, indicating a door on the left. Donnie grinned at his older brother as Leo opened the door.

It took him a moment to notice what lay neatly on his bed. Leo couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips at the sight of two katana. He ran to the bed, to make sure that the two katana were real. His hands wrapped around the two hilts, and Leo breathed a sigh of relief. He could already tell that they weren't _his_ katana – the grips weren't the right color – but they were _katana,_ and were something he had, in part, longed to have since he realized that his were stolen from him, probably forever.

"Logan bought all of us weapons," Donnie told his brother quietly as he set the box down on the desk. "I didn't actually get a real answer on why he got them, other than he figured we'd want them. I checked out all of the weapons, and they're fairly high-quality weapons."

Leo pulled out one of the sword partway, about three inches, and blinked at the eyes staring up in surprise at him. He had to smile a little as he realized he was staring at himself, but he had to also admit that the katana appeared to be made out of high quality steel. He slid the katana back into the sheath, and looked up at Donnie, who was leaning against the desk with a grin on his face.

"It beats not having anything at all, doesn't it?" Donnie asked his older brother kindly, a knowing look in his eyes. "Last night, I must have spent a good half hour just holding my new bo."

"It does," Leo agreed softly, before he turned his gaze onto the balcony and the view beyond. He wasn't sure how happy he was with a window, but considering everything, he guessed he'd just have to deal with it. It still was a good room, and the view was breathtaking. However, he'd have time later to enjoy the view. He turned back to his brother. "I think I'm ready for that tour now, Donnie."

"Okay," Donnie agreed. "Let's go. I think we'll start at the top and work our way down – that _should_ be the simplest."

"It doesn't matter to me, Don," Leo had to hide a smile as Donnie took them back to the elevator. "How many floors does this place have, anyway?"

"Officially, there are four – although the top floor is the attic, and mostly Storm's garden," Donnie replied. "There are also three floors below ground. The third floor, which is where we'll be starting, is mostly the teacher's rooms."

"Mostly?" Leo wondered. Don shot his brother a grin.

"You remember that argument that Hitomi and Jubilee were having, the night of our welcoming party?" Donnie inquired. Leo nodded. That argument, according to Roberto, was a reoccurring theme, and one that everyone was tired of. "Well, the students finally persuaded the teachers to do something about it, and the result is that Hitomi has a room on the teacher's level that isn't actually much different than her original room. From what I can tell, everyone is happy with the new arrangement."

"That's a good thing," Leo chuckled. As they were walking down the hallway, a door opened, and they both looked at it.

"Ah, I thought I heard your voices, my sons," Master Splinter remarked, a smile on his muzzle. "If you have a moment, my sons, I would like to discuss something with you."

"Of course, Sensei," Leo agreed instantly, glancing at Donnie. He nodded his affirmative as well, and the two boys entered their sensei's room.

It was almost double the size of their own, with a large bed and several Japanese decorations. Some they recognized, others they did not. There was a couch near Master Splinter's tea set, as well as a mat. It was clear to Leo that Master Splinter had accepted and even grown used to the new way of living that had opened up to them.

"Please, my sons, sit," Master Splinter told them, indicating, to Leo's surprise, the couch. Then again, it would be easier on them to sit on the couch, rather than kneel as they usually did. Both Leo and Donnie hesitated before sitting on the couch. Master Splinter sipped his tea before he set it down. "When we first arrived here, and were offered our stay, there was a part of the offer I felt needed to wait until you four were feeling better to let you know of. A part of the reason for this secrecy had, in part, due to your recovery. The other reason will become clear."

As Master Splinter took another sip of his tea, Leo could help but feel stunned. He hadn't even realized that there was something else other than what they had already been told. In fact, he couldn't think of anything else that they might get that they didn't already have. A glance at Donnie, however, hinted that maybe he wasn't thinking of everything. Donnie was extremely interested, and, for some reason, excited.

"As you well know, Professor Xavier is in the process in making you official citizens of the United States of America. This is important for the suggestion he made, and that I bring before you. He believes that it would be best if all four of you attend the local high school along with the rest of the students here," Master Splinter explained calmly. "I would like to hear your opinions of this offer."

Leo felt almost sucker-punched. The answer wasn't one he was expecting, but it almost made him feel like an idiot for not thinking of that particular aspect of regular human life as something they _could_ do now. In fact, it had been staring at him right in the face, and he hadn't noticed. He had even been _wondering_ what they would do while the other students were at school!

Donnie was the first to speak, and considering the subject matter, Leo wasn't surprised. "Master Splinter, I'd very much like to attend the local school," Donnie stated earnestly, hope and excitement both in his voice and on his face. Leo couldn't fault his brother, although he would have thought that Donnie would be trying to get into college and not high school. Then again, he had probably already thought about that and decided that high school was the best first step.

Donnie turned to look at Leo, and Leo couldn't help but feel pressured. However, he took a mental step back and considered the opportunity. While Leo wasn't sure how he felt about school, he could think objectively about it. All four of them had the chance to live as relatively normal human beings, and the easiest way to gain some normality would be to graduate from high school. In fact, people would expect them to have some level of education, although it didn't _have_ to be school. Yet it was a good idea for them to attend school – there were things that they could learn that they just hadn't had any experience with.

And in some ways, this was a new adventure, and a new challenge. This was uncharted territory, and would be a completely new experience. While he had never been fond of the education they had had at home, he couldn't help but be curious on how attending school would be different. That gave him his answer.

"I think this would be a good experience, for all of us," Leo agreed carefully, looking at Master Splinter and not his brother, although out of the corner of his eye, he could see Donnie's grin widen. "More, since we are now able to be a part of society as a whole, it would be a good idea to get an idea of what it is really like, and going to school would help with that."

"Mikey won't like it too much, but I think Leo's right – this would be a good thing for all of us to do," Donnie put in. "We need more experience in dealing with different people, and the education we'll be getting at the same time will help us later in life."

Master Splinter smiled before he nodded. "Then I will inform Professor Xavier that all four of you will join the other students at school, once you are ready," he replied calmly. "Now, I must prepare for the first of my classes," he added as he stood up, and put a hand on each of his sons' shoulders. "I am glad to see that you are recovering well, my sons," he told them softly before he turned and left the room.

Not wanting to seem rude, Leo and Donnie hurried out of the room themselves. Leo looked at his very excited brother. _Not that that surprises me,_ Leo had to hide a grin. "So, shall we continue the tour?" he asked Donnie, a smile playing around the corner of his lips.

"Yes," Donnie confirmed before he led Leo off to complete the tour.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

After the next chapter, I'm going to jump ahead another few weeks in the story, for the same reasons. Once we get there, though, we'll have their next adventure: high school. Of course, they have to get through the next chapter's adventure first. What is that, you might ask? **Adventures at the Mall****.** Seriously. They need their own clothes, and as of right now, they have their own undergarments, one pair of shorts, and one shirt apiece. They've borrowed from the other students so that their one outfit can get washed, but now that they're all able to move about, they need to get their own clothes.

I'm not saying anything else about the next chapter, but I figured I'd give you a little 'sneak peak' at what it's going to be about, as a means of saying 'es tut mir Leid,' 'sumimasen,' and 'I'm sorry.' (Those are ways of saying sorry, the first being German, the second being Japanese.)

As for the weapons - well, to be honest, the guys would miss having them, and although they would be discouraged from carrying them around, they would still _want_ them. As for Logan getting the weapons for the guys, well, Logan was the most logical pick for getting them. He recognizes the need for warriors to have weapons, and he is the one who has the training and education on picking the right one, as well as the contacts and acquaintances to get them. Splinter could have, but let's be honest - he doesn't have the contacts or the ability to get them without revealing himself.

That's all from me for now. Please **review!** Thanks for reading!

**~Star~**


	11. Ch 11, Adventures at the Mall

Hello everyone! Sorry about not having this ready last week - the trip was particularly difficult to write. The guys didn't want to go, at all. So much so that I had writer's block for a good week, trying to figure out exactly how it all went down. I had thought about adding in a little bit of the Brotherhood, but that ended up not happening. Don't worry, I have a few ideas on that end of things. I'm going to say that the next time I update will be in two weeks, to give me time to figure out everything else in the next chapter, and hopefully get a head start on the next one so that I can update a little more regularly. Quite frankly, it's hard to write this story without screwing up characters and the precarious merging of the two very different worlds.

I'd also like to mention that if any delays occur in the future, I'm going to post my apologies in my forum thread for this story.

Also, thanks to TMNTxKreativ for the review! As for the order of their recovery, Don's is a little faster due to his exposure to Hitomi's blood. Leo, however, had to be next due to his determination to be better quicker. He's pretty obstinate when he wants to be.

**Disclaimer**: Same story, different chapter. See previous chapters for further details.

**Chapter 11, Adventures at the Mall**

* * *

Mikey sat in the back seat with Donnie and Evan, excited and nervous at the same time. He and Raph had gotten out of the Infirmary and moved into their bedrooms on Thursday, as promised. Today, Saturday, all four of them were going to the mall to get clothes that they sorely needed. They couldn't keep the clothes that had been lent to them, and the only logical thing was to get new clothes. Besides, Mikey wanted clothes that were picked out for him by himself.

Of the four of them, Mikey figured he had to be the most excited about this. There were things he had always dreamed about doing, with no hope of actually doing them. This happened to be one of them. Another thing that he wanted to do at one point was go to see a movie at the movie theater, since he had never actually gotten to do that. Most of the movies he'd been able to watch had been out for a long time, since they couldn't actually _go_ to the movie theater to watch a brand new movie.

Scott was driving a dark green van, and it was full to the brim. Evan and Kurt were coming to help them out, which was probably a good thing. They were really not used to shopping for their own clothes in a real store. Or shopping for clothes at all, really. At least Xavier would be paying for their clothes, but that was why they were going to places that sold cheap clothes first.

Mikey looked at Kurt again, who didn't notice because his back was to Mikey. This was the first time any of them had seen Kurt wearing his special, holographic-inducing watch. It transformed him from a dark blue furred boy with three fingered hands, two-toed feet, and a tail to a normal looking boy. Mikey had an idea that Donnie wanted to get his hands on the technology and check it out.

Not that that surprised Mikey. Any new technology would fascinate and intrigue his brainy brother for days on end, especially if he could get his hands on it. Not that that happened often, since they had to take parts and other things from the junkyards. Although… now that they were human, maybe Donnie would get a hold of the newest technology that came out. There were possibilities that they hadn't yet thought of…

_Like video game stores!_ Mikey thought suddenly, and had to hide a huge grin. He knew they weren't going there today, and they didn't have money for any new games, but one day, he was totally going to have to visit a video game store. He added that to the mental list of things that he had to do now that he was human.

"Okay, we're here," Scott announced as he parked the van. Mikey looked at the mall, and blinked. There were a _lot_ of people going in and out of it. Kurt was already opening the door, but Mikey could tell that his brothers were not ready to get out. He wasn't sure if he did – that crowd made him nervous. Mikey took a deep breath, and made himself follow Evan out of the back seat.

Stepping out of the van into the active parking lot was one of the hardest things Mikey had ever done, and it had been harder to pretend that this was normal so that he didn't draw attention to himself. He heard someone – probably Leo – take a sharp intake of breath. Mikey took a deep breath himself, and looked around. A few people glanced at him but continued on their way as though there was nothing particularly interesting about him.

Mikey looked back at his brothers, noting that Donnie had moved towards the door, but seemed hesitant to get out. Raph and Leo hadn't moved much, and Leo's door was still shut. "Come on," Evan frowned at them. "We can't get this shopping trip done if you guys stay in the van."

Mikey looked back at the crowd, and had to suppress a shiver. He had been a turtle too long to easily go into a crowded building without being extremely uncomfortable, no matter how much he had always dreamed of it. He had been able to get out of the car in part because he was still a little excited about checking out the mall and everything that was associated with them. That didn't completely override his fears and nerves, but it helped.

Kurt blinked before he spoke up. "Zey are having ze same problem I had vhen I first got here," he told Scott and Evan matter-of-factly. "I vasn't used to having a vay to appear normal, und going into public made me nervous," he added in explanation. "It vill take a vhile to get used being in a crowd und not having anyone reacting to you, but ve'll help."

Mikey had to admit, while the situations were not exactly the same, they were very similar. Donnie, surprisingly, was the next one to venture out of the van. He took a deep, almost shuddering breath, before he put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "It is going to take a while for us to get used to crowds," he commented softly. "But the only way for us to get used to them is to do this," Donnie continued, looking at his other brothers.

Leo and Raph looked at each other. Mikey considered teasing them that the two bravest were the ones hiding in the car, but decided against it as the two moved almost at the same time to get out. He didn't want to have to run away screaming for a few different reasons. First off was that he wasn't recovered enough that he could run for as long as he used to be able to, and they had a mission that he needed his strength for. Secondly, he didn't want to do that where he didn't know hardly anyone. Thirdly, now was not the time for teasing his brothers. Not when he felt so uneasy and nervous. He didn't mind joking in these situations, but teasing his brothers was not as appealing.

"Don's right; this is something we _have_ to do, even if we're uncomfortable with it," Leo agreed, taking a deep breath of his own. "Let's get this over with."

Scott nodded, locked the van, and led them towards the mall. The closer they got, the more anxious Mikey felt. There still were many people going in and out of the mall, though there were less people now than when he had first looked. Mikey thought that Evan seemed annoyed, but considering it was nice weather, he might have been hoping to spend his Saturday differently than helping four turtles who weren't used to being human find clothes.

"Don't vorry about it," Kurt was reassuring Leo, recalling Mikey to the present. _Imagine, me, lost in my thoughts!_ Mikey mused as he focused in on what Kurt was saying, hoping to determine what they were talking about. "It's easy to figure zat out."

"Kurt's right – figuring out the size that fits you best isn't that hard," Scott put in, giving Mikey the answer to his unspoken question. "And we'll help you," he added. "Although I wouldn't recommend asking me for opinions on the color of anything you might want." Scott was grinning at that statement.

"Ah, darn," Mikey joked, relieving some of his stress in the way he always did. "I was _so_ hoping to get your opinion! Now what'll I do?"

"Don't worry, Mikey," Don couldn't help but grin at his younger brother. "I'm sure we'll figure out how to help you with your dilemma."

"Knucklehead," Raph grumbled as the group of teenage boys entered the mall. Despite Raph's gruff tone, Mikey could tell he was slightly more relaxed than before. Leo and Don were also a little more at ease as well. Mikey gave himself a mental pat on the back. The simple act of easing the tension his brothers felt also helped Mikey to relax.

"I would think that the solution is obvious," Leo commented, raising an eyebrow at Mikey and Don. Mikey grinned. Leo had relaxed enough that he was comfortable teasing them. However, Mikey had a role to play.

"Really?" he gasped, staring at his eldest brother in mock disbelief. "It is?" He paused for a moment before he asked, "What is it?"

Mikey grinned in triumph as his three brothers laughed, chuckled, or snorted at his antics. They were very used to his antics by now, and could tell when he was just joking around. "Oh," he continued, as though the answer had just dawned on him. "I have you guys, too!"

Donnie put a hand on Mikey's shoulder as he said, "Goofball." His tone was bemused, but the pressure Don exerted on Mikey's shoulder hinted that he realized what Mikey was trying to do, and appreciated it. That alone made it worth all the odd looks he was getting.

Don let his hand drop as they entered the first store. They all followed Scott to the guys' section. Mikey eyed all the clothes as they passed them. There appeared to be a large variety of clothes, especially girl clothes. When they finally arrived in the guy's section, Mikey's mouth dropped open in surprise. He hadn't been expecting quite as many racks and shelves of clothes in this section as there actually was. He suddenly felt very lost, and wasn't sure where to begin.

"Where do we even start?" Mikey voiced, looking at his brothers. All three of them looked as lost and confused as he felt, although Don had more of a look of calculation on his face than the others. They had to start somewhere, but Mikey wasn't sure where.

"Anywhere you want, really," Scott answered simply. He thought for a moment before he continued. "Since Evan, Kurt, and I are here to help, why don't we split up? I'll help Leo and Raph, Kurt can help Don, and Evan can help Mikey. We'll meet up in half an hour to see how things are going."

"That sounds like a good plan," Leo agreed slowly, looking at his brothers. Mikey nodded quickly, since that _was _a good plan. Don thought for a moment before he nodded as well. Raph shrugged, which was as much of an affirmative as they were going to get from him.

"Okay, come on," Evan agreed cheerfully, grabbing Mikey's arm and dragging him off towards a wall of jeans. Mikey glanced back before he focused on their goal. _New clothes, here I come!_

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Two hours later, the seven boys had left the mall and headed home. They had made a trip out earlier to store the first set of shopping bags that they had ended up with in the van so that they weren't burdened with more than they could carry. They had gotten a lot of their clothes the first trip, and the second trip had gotten them shoes, jackets, and other such necessities. Raph wasn't sure why Xavier was willing to spend so much money on them, but he was definitely grateful. His family wasn't used to needing clothes, and it wasn't easy for his family to get money. Or at least, it hadn't been easy. He wasn't sure how easy it would be now.

He pulled another bag of clothes closer to him to work on taking the tags off and putting them away. Despite his now human appearance, he was not used to going out in public. The whole experience of shopping was nerve-wrecking and, surprisingly, gratifying. No one had gone running in terror from them, and they had been able to go into any store they had wanted to enter. Once he got used to the crowds, it would be fun to check out some of the other stores, or even just hang out in town. His experiences with humans were limited, and were skewed, if he cared to think about it. Either they were enemies or friends, but nothing in between.

He knew, from simple observation, that humans didn't have just friends and enemies. There were a variety of people in between, like acquaintances, who were neither friend nor enemy, but someone you knew. It wasn't possible to know everyone you met, when you were human. Raph knew that his family's way of life, up to this point, had given them a very narrow view of humanity and life in general. They hadn't had a choice up until now.

The last two days in particular had been different. He had stood outside, with the sun shining down, and nothing had happened. Raph couldn't define how he felt about all the changes quite yet, but there definitely seemed to be a lot of good things coming out of this.

That didn't mean he didn't want to kick the snot out of whoever did this to him. They had kidnapped them, forced this change on them without their consent, and kept them unconscious for months. Further, they must have had a plan for them beyond what they did, and all the possibilities that Raph could think of made his blood boil. _Bastards!_ Raph mentally growled, throwing the shirt that he had just pulled out of a bag violently against the wall across from him. Once he found whoever did this to him, he'd find out who _ordered_ this, and – do something really violent once he found that guy. He couldn't really decide – for one thing, killing them was something that was probably highly frowned upon, although in the Shredder's case, it was something that had to be done. He was like a mad dog, and keeping him alive just wasn't worth all the lives the Shredder had taken.

If this had been offered to him, he was pretty sure he'd have agreed, provided they weren't asleep for the whole damn thing. Being human was something he had sometimes daydreamed about, especially when he was a lot younger than he was now. They weren't restricted to living below the ground, out of sight, and out of mind. He had hated looking up at the above world for most of his life, and then from above, without being able to touch it. This new form was an opportunity, one he had honestly not thought possible, and there were so many things he wanted to try now that he had it.

Raph sighed as he stopped what he was doing. He had a few ideas of things he wanted to do, but he didn't want to do them alone. The first thing that he had been thinking about trying to do was something he really wanted to talk to someone about, and now was the perfect time to talk to that person alone. He walked across the hall and pushed the partially open door to Donnie's room open.

Don looked up from his careful, meticulous unpacking. It didn't surprise Raph in the least at how neat his little brother was, simply because that was always how he had been. Although his workspace tended to look like a mess to Raph's eye, Don insisted that there was order to it that Raph just couldn't see. Don gave him a grin.

"Taking a break from taking care of your clothes?" Don asked with a raised eyebrow. "I can't believe how many clothes we got today," he added as he set down another shirt. Raph shut the door behind him, causing Don to look curiously at his brother. "What's on your mind?"

Raph sighed, and looked out over Don's balcony. "This all seems like it'll jus' disappear, yah know? Or like it's a dream or somethin'," he told Don frankly. "But it's real," he continued, looking at his hands.

"I know what you mean," Don agreed softly, leaning against his desk. "Some mornings, I wake up and swear that this is all a dream until I open my eyes and see it isn't." Don chuckled at that. "I don't doubt it'll take weeks for us to get used to waking up and realizing that this isn't a long, complicated dream, and perhaps longer than that for us to fully get used to all of the changes…"

Raph chuckled, smirking as he thought about what his brother had just said. "Most likely," he agreed. He shifted as he leaned against the door. "You ever think about what we're gonna do once we're done with all this recover crap?"

Don looked over at him, a little surprised, but also curious. "I've been thinking about that pretty much since we realized the situation we were in," he admitted. Raph was both surprised and not so surprised.

"Heh – I should've expected that from you, Don," Raph smirked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've been thinkin' about it for the past two weeks, so not as long as you've been. Though I bet Fearless has been, too." Raph rolled his eyes. "But I've been thinkin'… yah know, 'bout stuff, and what we're gonna do when we're back in shape." He paused, trying to figure out the best way to say it. Don merely smiled and nodded for Raph to continue. That was one of the best things about Don – he always listened to whatever Raph had to say, without question or criticism. "And I've been wonderin'… yah know, what school'd be like." Donnie raised his eyebrow again in surprise. "I think… hell, it might be fun to check it out, try tah live like normal people do. Or somethin' like that."

"And possibly get into trouble, knowing you," Donnie teased, a light grin on his face. "But I wouldn't have expected you to want to attend any type of school, Raph."

"Eh, it's somethin' we've never experienced before, and like I said, it might be fun," Raph shrugged, taking the teasing without much struggle. Besides, it was probably true. "Not tah mention interestin'."

Donnie chuckled. "That's definitely true. I'd love to attend the local high school with the other students – and, just so you know, not just for the academic aspect. Despite living here, we just don't know enough about being human. The people who live here are inclined to like us, more or less, by the mutual bond that we all share. We need to get used to being… more or less human, and we can't do that if we don't get out of here every now and again," Don agreed, a smile playing around the corner of his lips.

Raph had to laugh at that. "And here I thought yah'd be more interested in th' whole education stuff than anythin' else," he commented, shaking his head. "I doubt we'd be able tah talk Mikey and Leo intah goin', but I think we should try."

Don, to Raph's surprise, laughed at that. "Raph, I'll let you in on something that Master Splinter is going to tell all of us later today anyway," he grinned at his older brother. "We're_ all_ going to school." He paused as Raph felt his world drop out from under him, and he began to process what Don had said and implied. "We talked about it the day Leo got out of the Infirmary, and I don't think Master Splinter wanted to talk to Mikey about this." Don chuckled. "Mikey doesn't like learning math or science, or anything academic. He'd oppose attending school violently, but it's something we _all_ should experience."

Raph wanted to be mad, to be furious, and in a way, he was. They hadn't consulted _him_, and only Donnie, Leo, and Master Splinter had had a say in this life-altering decision. That wasn't fair, and it pissed him off. But he realized that it wasn't Donnie's fault that he had been left out of the discussion, and forced his anger aside. Besides, he had the idea that Donnie was telling him something that he shouldn't.

"Damn – yah mean that yah've already talked about this?" Raph couldn't help but growl, upset.

"Yes," Don confirmed, looking slightly worried. "I'm sorry we didn't bring you in on it, Raph."

"Yer not supposed tah tell me about this at all, are yah?" Raph asked shrewdly, trying to put a lid on his anger to get more information.

Don chuckled again. "You know, Raph, you may be a hot-head, but you're not stupid," he informed Raph with a grin. Raph didn't get upset over the hot-head comment – he knew it, and accepted it. "You're right – Leo and Master Splinter asked me to not tell either you or Mikey, but considering the discussion we were having... well, I figured it wouldn't hurt to let you know." Then he grinned. "Now you can pretend to be upset about it when Master Splinter tells all of us that."

Raph snorted. "True," he agreed, smirking. "And – thanks, bro. I won't let anyone know yah told me all this. I gotta get back tah dealin' with my stuff." With that, Raph turned and headed back to his room. He had a lot to think about.

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"So, what did you want to talk to us about, Master Splinter?" Mikey grinned, leaning forward from his perch on the couch in Master Splinter's room. While they might have tried to fit all four of them on the couch, Raph had elected to lean against the wall instead of trying to cram onto the couch.

In a way, Leo was glad he did. He knew what this was about, and he wasn't sure how Raph would react. Mikey's reaction was a little more predictable than Raph's. Raph might react violently, and if he had been on the couch, he might've hurt someone. Leo glanced at Don, who looked remarkably calm.

"Upon Professor Xavier's offer, I have chosen to enroll the four of you in the local high school, Michelangelo," Master Splinter replied calmly.

It took less than a minute for Mikey to react. "WHAT? WE HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL?" he half screamed, half gasped, horror in his voice. Leo winced, since Mikey was sitting right next to him. He glanced at Raph, who scowled.

"So ye're not gonna give us a choice in this?" Raph growled after Mikey had finished his yell, staring fixedly at Master Splinter. There was definitely anger in his body language, but it was carefully controlled and contained, which was a surprise coming from Raph.

"I apologize, Raphael, but it seemed to be the best course. The four of you have an opportunity to blend seamlessly into the rest of the world, but you cannot do so if you do not get involved in that world. Attending the local high school with the rest of the students seems to me to be the best way for you to get used to living as a human would. It is in all of your best interest if you attended the high school," Master Splinter answered, confirming Mikey's fears in the same breath.

"But! That isn't fair!" Mikey complained, trying for his infamous 'puppy-dog eyes' that never actually worked, despite what he might think. "Why can't we choose if we go or not?"

"Michelangelo, I know you do know wish to attend school for the work that is involved, but you must attend if you wish to live among them. As I am sure you are aware, none of us know how humans act in the day to day capacity, despite our friendships with Miss O'Neil and Mr. Jones. As I know this, I also know that you would rather not attend the local high school. Further, all of you should attend, so that you might experience it together," Master Splinter remarked calmly. "Again, I apologize in taking the choice from you, but in this case, my sons, I feel it is for the best."

Raph growled before he took off, slamming the door behind him furiously. Leo winced at the sound and sighed before he looked at his remaining two brothers. Mikey was still in shock, which wasn't much of a surprise. Don was staring after Raph with a thoughtful expression on his face. He caught Leo's gaze and grinned.

"You are dismissed, my sons," Splinter added gently, causing Leo to look at him.

"Yes, Sensei," Leo nodded. "C'mon, Mikey," he added, pulling Mikey with him. He exited the room with his youngest brother, closely followed by Don.

As the door shut softly behind Don, Mikey finally spoke up. "We're really stuck going to school, aren't we?" he asked sadly. He shot a slightly accusing look at Don. "Not that _you'll_ mind it."

Don just grinned. "Think of it this way, Mikey – we'll get first-hand experience with normal humans," he pointed out calmly. "Yes, this is a great opportunity for education, but I don't think that Master Splinter set this up _just_ for the academics."

"Besides, what _else_ would we do here, Mikey?" Leo had to ask. "All of our new friends attend the local schools, and it's hard to hang out with them while they're trying to do homework and suchlike."

"So you're okay with this," Mikey frowned at Leo, stating more than asking. "Why, dude?"

"I guess… I'm curious. We're… well, more human now, but we don't _know_ enough about humans to actually blend in. And… I think we should," Leo admitted softly. "Look, Mikey, I know you're not excited about the education aspect of all this, but just imagine all of the other things that go along _with_ school. Who knows? You might even have fun."

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After Leo and Mikey had gone off elsewhere, Don went and knocked on Raph's door. "Go the hell away, Leo," he heard Raph growl angrily. Don had to smile and shake his head. He hadn't been sure how much of their meeting with Master Splinter had been an act, but now he realized that Raph hadn't been acting. He had chosen something that he _could_ get angry about, and had reacted as he always had.

"Raph, it's me, Don," he called in. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." _And not breaking everything in sight,_ he added silently.

Before Don could turn away, the door opened. "C'mon, get in here before Leo gets here," Raph told his brother crossly. Don had to tuck a smile away before he did as Raph had ordered. Raph slammed the door shut behind him. "This whole situation pisses me off!" he snarled, shaking from barely restrained violence. "Why the hell didn't they ASK me first? Mikey I can understand, he hates the idea of school, but why the hell didn't Master Splinter as _me_ for my opinion?"

"I wish I could tell you, Raph," Don sighed, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Maybe they thought you'd react like Mikey did. I do agree that treating you like Mikey isn't fair, especially since you actually liked history every now and then," he added with a grin.

"Hey, those battles were interestin'!" Raph protested in self defense, glaring angrily at his brother.

"I know – and don't worry, I think only Master Splinter and myself know about that secret," Donnie agreed peacefully before he frowned. "Maybe it was simply the timing," he commented slowly. "It would've been hard to get the three of us without getting Mikey or having him get suspicious. I know it doesn't excuse it, Raph," he added quickly, "but it does help to explain it."

Raph growled before he walked over and hit his pillow, which was far less satisfying than a punching bag. He'd have to get one of those for his room, just for circumstances like these. "No, it doesn't excuse it!" he snarled angrily. He took a shuddering breath before he looked back at Donnie. "Thanks, bro. Yah know, yer a hell a lot easier tah talk tah than Leo or Master Splinter."

"Maybe it's because you and Leo clash too much and too often for you to be able to talk to him, and the fact that you often get lectures from Master Splinter that you don't feel you can talk to him," Donnie suggested softly. "We don't clash all that much, and the only lectures I give you are on first aid."

Don was glad to see some of the anger slowly fade from Raph's shoulders. "Yeah, yer nowhere near as annoyin' as Leo is," Raph snorted. "At least yah copped up tah the whole thin' before Master Splinter told us. Yah didn't try tah hide it from me." Raph sighed. "Look, I'm gonna go find the weight room. I need tah find a punchin' bag, otherwise I'm gonna start hitting things I shouldn't break. "Scat."

Don grinned before he opened the door and walked across to his room. He couldn't say he was surprised by anything he and Raph had talked about. He just hoped that living here, with more people, would ease the tensions that were often stirred up between Raph and Leo. He wasn't sure if going to school would help or not, but it would be a good start.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Raph's feelings about school:** Quite honestly, Raph just seems to me to be unpredictable. Yes, he probably won't like going to school very much for academic reasons, but there is so much more to school than that. Raph has been implied to be more perceptive of these things than people give him credit for, and I like that. His idea that going to school might be fun and interesting definitely seem to be something he'd think after a while. And the whole thing about him liking history, particularly the battle scenes - well, he would be interested in the fighting. Yeah, some people consider history a boring story most of the time, but it's also about the why, and the fighting style, and the outcome. (Personally, I find the ins and outs of history fascinating - like the fact that John Wilkes Booth died in a very similar fashion to Abraham Lincoln within a month of the assassination.)

Don't forget to check out my interesting debate on the turtles' birthdays! Considering some plans, comments would be appreciated! (Look under my TMNT Centric forum.)

Please **review! **Arigato gozaimasu! (Thank you very much!)

Genki dane! (Take care!)

**~Star~**


	12. Ch 12, Details

**Hello all! As I promised, this chapter is two weeks after my previous update. I'm glad I planned for this, mostly because some of the characters weren't making this an easy chapter. Also, it's shorter than normal, but I think the next chapter might be longer. Now, because I know the next chapter is going to be complicated to write, and I am starting a summer class that lasts for two weeks on Monday, I'm going to plan ahead again and say that the next chapter will come in two weeks. I'm hoping to get back to a weekly update schedule, but for now, biweekly seems to be working better.**

**I wanted to extend a thank you to my three reviewers, Pacerpaw, TMNTxKreativ, and paigeslinard. I'm glad you are all enjoying my story.  
**

Chapter 12, Details

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"What do you mean, we need to figure out our last name?" Mikey frowned at Donnie as they all lounged in his room. The idea that they needed a last name, when he was already Michelangelo Hamato, was mind-boggling. He glanced at Hitomi, who was leaning on the balcony railing. She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Mikey, we still have enemies out there, and while our first names aren't common, they are also not so rare that it'll be easy to find us. However, combined with the last name Hamato…" Don shrugged. "While these forms weren't of our own choice, we still don't want our enemies to find us if we can help it."

Leo nodded. "Precisely. If there was a way to retain our last name, Mikey, we'd do it, but in order to protect ourselves, we _have_ to change it," he added.

"I wouldn't change it _too_ much," Hitomi pitched in suddenly, standing up straighter. "If you took a name that is completely different, say Smith or Fox, you'd end up having trouble remembering it in a pinch. I'd suggest something along the lines of Hamada or Hamashita, which is close to Hamato without being drastically different."

Don blinked before he chuckled. "I didn't think of that – and you're right. If our names are too different from what we're used to, we're going to slip up a lot before we're used to it, and that would raise a lot of suspicion if we can't even remember our last name," Donnie agreed. He frowned, thinking.

"Isn't Hamada more common than Hamashita?" Leo inquired, looking at Hitomi. He hadn't been sure, initially, if this conversation was something she should hear or not, but he was now grateful for her presence. She would know better than they did how common a name was.

"From my knowledge, yes, Hamada is more common than Hamashita," Hitomi confirmed. "But ultimately, it's up to you guys. I'm going to leave, so you can discuss it yourselves and decide on what you'll call yourselves." She smiled. "Good luck." With a final wave, Hitomi leapt off the balcony and flew upwards.

"Jeez, I'm still not used tah that," Raph complained, shaking his head. "I don't care how long we've been here, I'm _still_ not used tah all this."

"I'm sure now that we're out of the Infirmary, we'll be able to get used to all the weird stuff that happens here a lot faster," Donnie commented with a chuckle. "Just watch the morning rush before school – that helps."

"I'll take yer word on it," Raph smirked. "So why do we have to change our last name?"

"Raph, think of it more as when we're in this form, we're not completely ourselves, if that helps," Don suggested with a sigh. "We'll be able to transform back to normal – our normal, anyway. In those forms, we're the Hamatos. But in these forms," he continued, indicating his human body, "we are someone else. It will protect us from the Shredder, and all of our other enemies."

Raph let out a growl. "Okay, fine," he agreed, although very begrudgingly. "Hamada sounds good tah me."

Leo breathed an inner sigh of relief. "Same here," Mikey piped up. "I mean, if we _have_ to change our last name, Hamada sounds okay to me."

Leo looked at Donnie, who nodded. "Then we'll be the Hamada brothers… at least when we appear human," he acknowledged, since Donnie was right about being the Hamato brothers while appearing as they had for most of their lives. The difference was only in the last name, nothing more. The spirit was the same, and so long as he had his brothers, Leo didn't care.

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Kitty sighed as she signed off from Messenger. She really didn't want to stop, but her friend, Claire, had to go. And if she wanted to be honest with herself, she had been leaving her homework for later, and it was already three in the afternoon on Sunday. She had to start soon, or she'd end up working late into the night.

As she pulled her history textbook out of her backpack, she had to consider the most recent turn of events. They had all just been informed that the four new guys would be attending the local high school, and that, for official purposes, they would be known as the Hamadas. They had been purposefully not mentioning them up until this point, but they could now mention them so long as they remembered the most important things.

First off was their last name. They had changed their last name from Hamato to Hamada because they had old enemies who could find them using their real last name. Secondly, they were not to mention that they were actually there yet. The official story was that they wouldn't be here right away for personal reasons, and that they should be here in a month. The real reason was that they had to finish getting their various identifications all squared away as well as giving them time to be closer to fully recovered.

Just as Kitty was opening her textbook, there was a knock at the door. "Yeah, come in!" she called, and was not quite surprised to see Jean come in. "Hey, Jean. I'm, like, totally swamped with homework right now. What's up?"

"I just wanted to talk, and to remind you that we have tomorrow morning off from Danger Room practice," Jean replied. "I won't stay long, since you're swamped right now. What do you think of the recent turn of events?"

"Like, with the new guys? Totally interesting! I, like, can't wait to see how they react to being in high school! It'll be a totally new experience for them!" Kitty exclaimed, grinning. "I totally hope I get in a class or two with one of them!"

Jean laughed. "It'd be a good thing, too, if you did. After all, they're going to need some help in getting used to attending high school. Not only that, they aren't used to doing schoolwork on a regular basis anymore," Jean noted.

"Oh? They, like, did schoolwork before?" Kitty asked, intrigued.

"Apparently – they had to learn some things, like reading, writing, and arithmetic. Although Don knows quite a bit more than all those!" Jean pointed out, grinning.

"Totally!" Kitty grinned. "How about you? What do you, like, think about all this?"

"I think it's a good thing. It'd be a little weird for them to be living here, but _not_ attending school, you know? Besides, they need to get used to living in society, instead of apart from it," Jean responded logically. "I'm happy for them – although I don't think they're going to find it easy for quite some time."

"Tell me about it!" Kitty laughed. "Hey, do you want to, like, visit the music store tomorrow? I don't have a few CDs that I totally need to get!"

"That sounds like fun," Jean agreed. "Anyways, I should let you get back to work. I'll see you at dinner."

"Hey," Kitty called before her door could shut. "Do you, like, think Tomi's going to do what she always does?"

"There hasn't been any change in the dojo schedule, so I don't see why she'd change her own schedule," Jean replied, shrugging. "I've told her she doesn't need to practice so much, but she just brushed me off. You know Tomi – she's as stubborn as a mule when she's made up her mind."

"Totally!" Kitty laughed, waving before her bedroom door shut, and she forced her wandering mind to focus on the task at hand.

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Leo sighed as he finally found the room he had been searching for. He hoped none of his brothers would check his room – the last thing he needed was for them to give him grief over wanting to practice his _ninjutsu_ skills. They were his brothers, and he knew he couldn't stop the teasing, but that didn't mean he didn't try to avoid it whenever possible.

Besides, he needed to start getting back his skills. Master Splinter had told him that, while there was a permanent schedule for each student, he had an hour or so after dinner where anyone could practice. Even better, few people actually used it. He hoped that no one would actually be practicing tonight, so they wouldn't give him grief over overexerting himself.

He walked into the doorway and stopped in his tracks. Hitomi was in the middle of a complex _kata_ with her sais, and was so concentrated that she probably didn't even realize he was there. The _kata_ was definitely a few levels below what Raph could do, at least before all this, if Leo was judging her moves right. Yet at the same time, it wasn't actually a _kata_ he recognized.

Leo had to shake his head at that. He couldn't expect everyone who trained in _ninjutsu_ to use the same techniques. He refocused his attention on Hitomi, who continued moving in slow, fluid moves. Leo made the note to ask either Hitomi or Master Splinter if she would be willing to teach Raph some of these. They could prove promising to master.

When Hitomi came to the end of her _kata,_ she looked over and smiled. "So what'd you think?" she asked quietly, proving that she _hadn't_ been so absorbed that she didn't notice his arrival.

"It looked pretty good. It's not a _kata_ I've seen before, though, and there are some moves that I'd love to see if they'd transfer to katana," Leo replied, smiling slightly.

"I could show you a few, simple _kata_ for bare fists," Hitomi offered. "Master Splinter has been teaching me the ones he taught you, although I have also been showing him the ones I have learned."

"I would love that," Leo blinked in surprise, but pleased as well.

"I'll show you one now, but you probably shouldn't do _too_ much right now. Perhaps we'll do one simple _kata_ together, and then I'll show you the _kata_ that I learned from my teachers back in Japan," Hitomi suggested, eyeing him speculatively.

Leo had to laugh. "I'm surprised you're not trying to talk me out of practicing," he admitted, wondering what her reaction would be.

"I've noticed that when it comes to practicing anything and getting back into shape, you can be just as stubborn as I am," Hitomi answered with a grin. "So I figured I'd save myself the arguing, and join you in your practicing. Besides, I'd rather have someone here in case you overdo it and can't get back to your room on your own. I don't care if it's me or someone else."

Leo blinked at her assessment of both herself and him. If he had to, he'd agree with that assessment. "So you admit you're as stubborn as a mule," he decided to say instead of anything else.

"I've never denied it," Hitomi replied smugly. "I just didn't like being _called_ 'mule' all the time. Now… well, from Logan, it can't be helped. But if anyone else starts calling me 'Mule'… well, I won't be talking to them until they call me by my name."

Leo laughed at that. "So noted," he told her, grinning. "Anyways, shall we begin?"

"Of course," she responded, getting into position for the beginning of one of the simplest _katas_ that Master Splinter taught all of his students. Beside her, Leo did the same. With a deep breath, they both began.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Last Name Change** - as pointed out, changing their last name is important for their protection. All of their first names aren't extremely common, but they aren't so rare that they'd draw their enemies' attention. However, pair their last name with their first ones, and it doesn't take long to put two and two together.

**~Star~  
**


	13. Ch 13, Welcome to the First Day

Hello! Um... I'm really, really, really_, really, __**really**_**,**_**really**_ sorry I haven't updated in weeks! I swear, my life was so crazy for those two weeks of classes that I could barely find time to think, let alone write. Then, to make matters worse, this chapter just _didn't_ want to get written. I don't think the guys actually wanted to go to school, even though most of them liked the idea of it. I'm not completely pleased with the way I ended this chapter, but I was running out of ideas, and considering how I never actually took a class in clay in high school (which I'm very sad about), I was starting to hit the wall.

So in short, I've been really busy, and this chapter was very hard to write. I'm very sorry! But here is the chapter on a weekday instead of waiting until Saturday!

We're finally getting people talking in other languages! For the most part, this will be addressed with the following format:

"_{Japanese}_"

"_{{German}}_"

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters.

**Chapter 13, Welcome to the First Day (of the Rest of Our Lives)**

Leo took a deep, calming breath as he headed towards the car. Jean had volunteered to drive the four of them in, although she was also driving Kurt and Hitomi in as well. He still couldn't believe that they were starting high school today. He and his brothers had been slowly preparing themselves for the reality of attending school, but nothing they did could actually fully prepare them.

At least they were a little more used to crowds now. They had gone to the mall a couple more times, mostly to hang out or buy some things. Mikey had dragged Kurt off to the video game store once, and they had all checked out the music store. Another good thing happened to be that they had bought Raph a punching bag for his room. That had been very important, especially since Raph had broken a few pottery pieces, mostly by accident, a time or two when he had been upset before they had gotten him that punching bag.

Leo slid into the back seat, his stomach taut with nerves. Mikey came in next, and it wasn't hard to tell he was both nervous and a little sullen. Well, to be fair, Mikey had been shanghaied into going to school in the first place, so a little sullenness was to be expected.

Raph sat next to Mikey, and Leo was surprised to see that he only seemed to radiate nerves, rather than be even more sullen about this than Mikey. While he _did_ have a slight scowl on his face, there wasn't anything different about it from his usual scowl. Leo wasn't sure what to make of that.

Hitomi and Don sat in the middle two seats. Hitomi radiated calm complacency, which wasn't very surprising. Don appeared to be both nervous and excited. Leo had to smile at his younger brother. Even if nothing else came out of this, Don would finally get the recognition for his genius that he truly deserved.

There was a sudden flash of light, a strange sound (almost like a bamf), and the smell of sulfer. All of that announced Kurt's arrival in the front passenger seat. Hitomi sighed as she shook her head. Kurt turned around and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry – I zhought zat I vas ze first one here," he apologized sheepishly.

"Next time, teleport to the _outside_ of the van, so that the sulfurous _smell_ that always accompanies you _doesn't_ end up in here," Hitomi told him crossly, waving a hand in front of her face.

"I vill," he promised with a grin as Jean opened the driver's door.

As she sat down, she said, "Hey, guys. Are you ready?"

"Maybe?" Don responded, grinning nervously at the back of her seat as Jean started the van.

"It's kind of hard to be ready to go to school after growing up the way we have," Leo agreed firmly. "I think we're as ready as we're going to get."

"Yeah," Raph grunted his agreement. "Any more waitin' ain't gonna help much."

"Probably not," Jean agreed cheerfully. "I'm sure you'll be just fine. And there is a good possibility that you'll end up in classes with other students from the Institute."

"Ja! I vould zink zat Don vould end up in some of Tomi's classes," Kurt put in, grinning.

"I'm pretty sure he's going to be in my math class," Hitomi confirmed. "It's advanced placement algebra 2, which I think is good. It's pretty easy stuff, but we'll end up with college credit from it."

"Dude, that's not gonna be a problem! Don does math for _fun!"_ Mikey snickered.

"What's worng with that?" Hitomi wondered, causing Don to smirk and Mikey to stare at her. "I like to do math when I'm stressed out. It's very soothing."

"Uh… _seriously?"_ Mikey stared at her, obviously unable to believe what she had just said.

"Of course," Hitomi replied, the corners of her mouth twitching. "Math and computers are closely related. I enjoy working with both."

"Ja," Kurt confirmed. "Tomi enjoys computers und math very much. She is alvays complaining zat ze school computers are too slow."

"If they'd let me upgrade them like I want to, they'd be running much better than they are!" Hitomi protested. "But Principle Kelly says I can't!"

"It'd take you quite a while to upgrade all of the computers at school, Tomi," Jean pointed out reasonably. "It would cause problems if you upgraded some and everyone started to fight over who got to use the faster ones."

"You forgot to mention Principle Kelly doesn't think I could actually improve them," Hitomi replied sullenly.

"Tomi, you're not going to be able to upgrade them. Why can't you drop it?" Jean inquired exasperatedly.

"Maybe it's because all of the reasons Principle Kelly gave me were _stupid?"_ Hitomi retorted stubbornly. "I suggested that I work on upgrading as many of them as I could over Thanksgiving break. You want to know what he said? He said that I couldn't because _school was closed!_ That would have been the _perfect_ time to get most of them done!"

Jean sighed, signaling that a change in topic was in order. Otherwise, Hitomi would continue on that vein of topic for as long as she had something to say. Leo wreaked his brain for a new topic, but was rescued from the task by Kurt. In retrospect, it was only fair, as it was his fault that Hitomi started on the subject in the first place.

"Tomi, are you excited to start racquetball today?" the blue-furred boy inquired.

Hitomi blinked before a knowing grin spread over her face. "It's hard to say, since nearly all sports hold the same level of interest from me," she responded, letting the previous argument fade without a struggle. "It'll be interesting, though. My course, Amelia, loves racquetball."

"So you've played it before?" Kurt wanted to know.

"Yes – she wanted an adversary, so she taught me how to play," Hitomi answered with a shrug.

"Are yah any good at it?" Raph demanded, eyeing her with interest.

"According to Amelia, I'm a pretty good racquetball player," Hitomi answered simply. "Amelia wants me to visit her more often so that we can play a few games. At least, that's what she said last weekend when I visited her for Thanksgiving."

"Where does she live?" Leo inquired curiously.

"Burlington, Vermont, which is lucky for her father. Uncle Steve works for the University of Vermont. That, in turn, is lucky for Amelia. She can use UVM's racquetball courts," Hitomi responded.

"What does he teach?" Don wanted to know.

"He's a botanist, or if you'd prefer, a plant biologist," Hitomi replied. "He teaches courses in botany, like systematic and phylogeny. He particularly enjoys teaching tropical systematic."

"That sounds fascinating," Don commented with a grin.

"Okay, everyone – we're here," Jean announced as she parked the van in a parking space. The cheerful, almost relaxed mood dissipated quickly even as Hitomi opened the door and got out, swinging her backpack up where it belonged.

Don took a deep breath and followed her out, his movements far more stiff than they should have been. Raph let out a soft growl before he, too, exited the van. Mikey pouted but, after a carefully aimed poke from Leo, followed Raph out. Leo didn't give himself a chance to think about what he was doing before he quickly climbed out of the van behind Mikey.

"Everyone have everything?" Jean asked as she came around the back of the van, her own bag already situated on her back.

"I think so," Don confirmed, looking around. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Then let's get your schedules," Jean grinned as she locked the van and headed towards the entrance to the school. "Remember that today is B-day when you get your schedules," she added. Leo took a deep breath before he followed Jean and the other two. He couldn't help but notice that they were all drawing their attention, and had to take another deep breath to stop himself from bolting.

Now that that he was here, he really didn't want to do this. This whole experience was terrifying and it was increasingly hard not to fall back on old habits. _Hide in the shadows and stay out of sight._ If he tried any of that right now, he would draw even more attention to himself than he already was. He could tell, just by looking at his brothers, that they felt the same. Hitomi caught his gaze once and gave him an encouraging wink.

Jean paused outside the door to the administrative office. "Kurt, Tomi, why don't you two wait out here? That way we don't crowd the office," she suggested.

"Okay," Hitomi agreed instantly, while Kurt merely nodded his agreement.

Jean opened the door and led the four brothers into the office. Leo felt his stomach flip as the woman at the desk looked at him, and he had to remind himself that she wasn't going attack him. It was hard, though, not to reach for his absent katana in self defense.

"Good morning, Jean. Are these the new students from the Institute?" the woman inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Ms. Henderson," Jean answered with a smile.

"Welcome to Bayville High School," the woman, Ms. Henderson, told them with a smile. "I assume that the other students from the Institute will help them find their way around?" she asked Jean.

"Yes – I think between myself, Hitomi, and Kurt, we'll be able to show these guys around without much problem," Jean responded promptly.

"Excellent. I assume Hitomi and Kurt are both waiting outside the office. Why don't I give you fellows your schedules, and you can go outside and figure out who is going to help you out?" Ms. Henderson suggested.

"That sounds good to me," Don put in carefully while Leo, Mikey, and Raph all nodded confirmation.

"Good. I have your schedules right here…" she paused as she opened up a folder that Leo could see read 'New Students.' "Let's see… Donatello Hamada?" she inquired, looking up as she pulled a sheet from the folder.

"That's me," Don told her as he stepped forward to take the sheet. "Thanks." He turned around and headed out of the room.

"Leonardo Hamada," Ms. Henderson continued as she pulled out a second sheet.

Leo stepped forward and took the offered sheet. "Thank you," he told her before he followed Don out of the office, taking a careful, but relieved breath.

"Okay, so aside from these three classes, we've got the same class schedule," he heard Hitomi comment, and saw her point at the sheet of paper in Don's hands.

"It doesn't look like ve have any classes togezer," Kurt added before he turned to Leo. "Vhat is your schedule?"

Leo looked down at the sheet of paper. He looked under the 'B Day' column. "I have drawing first," he answered as Kurt looked over his shoulder.

"Oh! You have zat class vith me," he told Leo happily. "Und you are in ze same gym und history classes as Tomi, Kitty, und me."

Leo watched as Mikey left the office and walked over to them. "Let's see…" he heard Hitomi comment as she looked over his schedule. "Okay, so today you have geometry first thing with Evan, then you have English with Kurt, history with me, Kurt, Kitty, and Leo, from the sounds of it, and –hey, Don, Mikey's in your clay-work class."

"Cool! We both get to make stuff with clay!" Mikey grinned at his brother, obviously ignoring the fact that his day began with one of his least favorite subjects – math.

Jean and Raph both came out of the office simultaneously and came over. "So – any ideas on who goes where?" she asked.

"I think I can take Mikey to his geometry class, and I was right about Don being in my algebra class," Hitomi piped up. "What's your schedule look like, Raph?"

"Uh… auto-shop, then English, then gym, followed by biology," was Raph's grimaced response.

"The auto-shop lab is near my first class," Jean told them all. "How about you, Leo?"

"Kurt says that I have the same drawing class as he does," Leo answered, feeling a tad uncomfortable.

"Zen he has class vith Evan, und finishes ze rest of ze day vith Tomi und me," Kurt finished for him.

"Good. The warning bell is going to ring soon, so we've got to head out," Jean commented. "I hope you guys enjoy your first day of classes! C'mon, Raph," she added, beckoning the boy to follow her.

"I'll see yah later," Raph grunted to his brothers before he followed Jean down the hallway.

"Well, let's get headed," Hitomi told them. "Mikey, I'll show you where your second class is on the way…" she continued as she led Mikey and Don down another hallway.

"C'mon," Kurt dragged Leo down the same hallway, but turned down a hall fairly soon. Several kids looked over as he dragged him towards their first class. Leo felt shaky when they finally walked into the classroom. Leo blinked as Kitty waved at them.

"Hey!" she grinned at them as Kurt led Leo over to the table Kitty was sitting at. "This is, like, so cool! Can I, like, see your schedule?" Wordlessly Leo handed her the schedule he still held in his hands as he sat down next to her, lowering his backpack as he did so. He looked around the art room, and couldn't help but notice how many people were looking at him. "Oh! You, like, have the same English class as I do, and you're, like, in the same history class as Tomi, Kurt, and I!"

"Oh? I guess I'll be able to borrow your class notes, then," Leo commented. _And get a better idea of what to expect in this strange world I've put myself into,_ he added silently.

TMNTXMENTMNTXMEN TMNTXMENTMNTXMENTMNT

Raph slid into a seat in the fairly small class. There were about six tables with two seats at each of them facing the front, but the majority of the classroom was taken up by real vehicles that the students were obviously working on. That was fine with him – quite honestly, he'd rather be doing something with his hands than sitting around all day. But then, he also wanted to see what school was all about, and he'd just have to resign himself to having to sit around all day.

Besides, in a way, this was what he wanted. He _wanted_ to get more experience in social situations, and while school was primarily an academic setting, it was also extremely social. This was where he not only wanted to be, but he _needed_ to be here. There was no better way to get a hang of human society than to experience high school.

Of course, that didn't make the whole process easy. They had a lot of work cut out for them, both socially and academically. Well, probably not academically for Don. But then, that was only to be expected.

A tall boy with long brown hair sat next to him. "Hey – I'm Lance," the teen greeted as he dropped his backpack on the floor next to him. "Are you one of the new students from Xavier's Institute?"

"Yeah – I'm Raph," Raph responded, reminding himself as he shook Lance's hand that he shouldn't be suspicious that Lance knew where he was coming from. After all, he knew for a fact that most of the students who had been attending the high school all along had been talking about the 'Hamada' brothers and their imminent 'arrival.' "So what's this class like?" he inquired, deciding that that would be the best approach to talking to Lance.

"Pretty cool, actually," Lance shrugged. "Mr. Jones is pretty relaxed about what we do, so long as we're learning something about the vehicles we're working on. You had any previous experience with car maintenance?"

"Cars, no," Raph answered honestly. "I once helped my brother fix up an old van, though, and I maintain my own bike."

"Yeah? That's cool – I maintain my Jeep," Lance grinned. "So how much older is your brother than you are?"

"Don? He's my _younger_ brother," Raph smirked, startling Lance. "But he's over in… I think it's advanced placement algebra three or something like that." Raph shrugged. "He's more th'… intellectual type a person."

"I don't think they get more advanced in algebra than algebra two," Lance frowned. "But AP? _And_ he fixed up a van? Geez, that's pretty… abnormal."

Raph nearly froze at Lance's choice in his last word and the way he phrased it. Luckily, he managed to snort instead of freeze. "An' bein' a near genius for years is normal?" he inquired around another smirk. "Only thing _weird_ about Don is how much he likes learnin'," he continued. "Can't undehstand it myself, tah be honest."

"I think the last new student before you and your brothers arrived, uh… Hitomi Webber, I think – she's pretty into learning, too," Lance pointed out. "She's really got a _nose _for knowledge."

Raph noted the way Lance said 'nose,' and added it to his choice in description of what Don could do. _No, I don't like this a bit. And he's as subtle as a rock about all this,_ Raph decided with a mental growl. "Yeah – I think she was th' one tah bring Don tah his firs' class," Raph agreed, deciding to play dumb, and ignore the otherwise obvious remark that Hitomi had a keen sense of smell. "At leas' she'll be able tah undahstand Don when he starts talkin' 'bout things like... I don't know, science-y stuff."

There was a definite hint of disappointment in Lance's body language at that. _Bingo,_ Raph thought with a hidden smirk. _Yah really _do_ know about mutants, doncha?_

"Didn't I hear that there were four of you? What about your other brothers?" Lance inquired, with more obvious hints at his intentions.

_Information, huh? Don't worry – I'll give you some… in exchange for some about yerself,_ Raph thought at the boy with another hidden smirk. "Hey, I don't know much 'bout you. Doncha think that I should get tah know _yah_ better?" Raph pointed out, putting a small hint of indignation into his voice.

He had spent a lot of time working on this after realizing that they'd all be attending school. They all had to act, at least to some degree, in order to survive. If they wore everything on their sleeves, then they would be found out in no time.

Lance chuckled. "There's not much to tell," the other teenager shrugged. "I live in a foster family until Mys… Darkholme offered me the chance to attend the Brotherhood of Bayville boarding house. Since my foster family wasn't all that thrilled with me, it wasn't a hard decision. I've been here for almost a year now. So – about your brothers?"

Raph opened his mouth to respond when the teacher, Mr. Jones, cleared his throat. As Raph turned his attention to the man, he made the note to ask one of the older students about someone who's name started as a 'miss,' as well as the last name Darkholme. Of course, he'd also have to ask about Lance, but he felt he had a pretty good idea that he knew what was going on with the brown-haired boy.

TMNTXMENTMNTXMEN TMNTXMENTMNTXMENTMNT

Leo sighed as he slid into one of the seats at lunch. After getting his lunch, he had spotted Hitomi and Kurt sitting at one of the tables. By the time he had gotten there, Mikey was already sitting down.

"So – vat do you zink of school so far?" Kurt asked them eagerly, looking between the two.

"I have a pile of homework that is the size of Mt. Everest!" Mikey complained, looking mournfully at Kurt. "How do you deal with it all?"

Hitomi snorted, shaking her head. Leo had discovered, to his bewilderment, that Hitomi took on a very slight Japanese accent at school. When he had asked her why that was, she had simply said that 'most people expect me to have _some_ type of accent, and freak out if I don't.' "I believe that is a hyperbole," she remarked with a grin. "And an extreme one at that. I do believe that if someone were given the amount of homework you just described, it would take until their great-great-great-great grandson's eightieth birthday to complete it, given that they started at your rough age and lived to be one hundred. Of course, there are other factors to that problem that must be determined, such as the difficulty of the homework involved as well as they type. Also, if the pile were a single stack, then that would also decrease the amount of time it takes to complete the Mt. Everest homework pile. Hey, Donnie, Raph," she added as Don and Raph both sat down at the table.

"Uh… what?" Mikey stared at her, trying to understand what she just said. "What's a hyper-whatsis?"

"A hyperbole," Hitomi corrected before she sighed.

"That's an exaggeration, such as –" Don began, before being interrupted.

"'I have a pile of homework zat is ze size of Mt. Everest,'" Kurt supplied with a grin.

"Exactly," Don confirmed, looking puzzled as Kurt, Leo, and Hitomi all chuckled at that. A look of realization crossed his face. "Ah – so you have a lot of homework, Mikey?"

"Yeah," he replied, frowning a little.

"Hey – can I ask yah a question?" Raph put in, looking between Kurt and Hitomi. "I met this interestin' guy in my auto-shop class named Lance."

Hitomi frowned as she and Kurt exchanged looks. "Zat could only be Lance Alvers," Kurt commented. "Vith ze Brozerhood."

"_{The Brotherhood of Mutants,}_" Hitomi whispered in Japanese, looking around to make sure she didn't spot the only person who could really understand Japanese here besides everyone already present – the Japanese teacher, Dakita-sensei. "_{They were mostly managed by the previous principle, Raven Darkholme, but that was her cover. I can't say her real name here – we'll tell you back home.}_"

Leo leaned forward, frowning slightly. "_{Are all members of the Brotherhood mutants?}_" Leo demanded softly. "_{And who are they?}_"

"_{All of them are like us,}_" Hitomi answered honestly, her eyes suddenly on a figure moving slowly towards them. She looked at Kurt and raised her eyebrows.

"Zey don't like us very much, so you might vant to avoid zem," Kurt suggested, taking up where he obviously hoped Hitomi had left off. "Zere is Lance for one, zen zere is Todd Tolensky, Fred Dukes, und Pietro Maximoff."

"I'll be sure to remember that," Don commented, frowning slightly.

"Pietro is, unfortunately, in our gym class, Leo," Hitomi told him with a sigh. "Ignore him – that's what I usually do," she continued as Dakita-sensei walked right past them. "He has decided that I am a challenge for him, and usually tries to hit on me during gym." She rolled her eyes.

"It is amusing to vatch, zough," Kurt snorted, grinning. Hitomi groaned.

"For _you_, maybe," Hitomi muttered as she poked at her food with a plastic fork. "He hasn't given up yet, despite me making it perfectly clear that I don't date men who wear a bottle of hair-gel _every day._"

"Ah – that explains th' nose comment Lance made earlier," Raph snorted, smirking. "He's as subtle as an avalanche or somthin'."

Both Hitomi and Kurt burst into laughter at that. Mikey grinned, but Leo couldn't help but tense up. Their laughter was drawing the attention of several people, and it was almost a relief when Hitomi calmed down, although Kurt continued to have random fits of laughter at that.

"_{An interesting choice of words, Raph, considering his rock-like prowess,}_" Hitomi snickered. "_{When he doesn't go by Lance, that's what he goes by.}_"

"_{And Pietro?}_" Leo inquired, noting that the Japanese woman was far away from their table at this point.

"_{Don't get into a fight with him if you can help it. There's no way to guarantee he won't cheat, and it can be hard,}_" she answered seriously, looking at each of them with a very serious expression. "_{Any of the others is fine – but Pietro can move faster than anyone.}_"

Leo frowned, not liking this one bit. "_{And the other two? What can they do? We're going to need a heads-up on them sometime,}_" Don pointed out logically.

"_{Todd is a lot like a toad,}_" Hitomi answered cryptically. "_{He's probably the worst fighter in the group, although he'd probably be okay against people who don't know how to fight. Fred is the big guy, and he's got tough skin… although not emotionally speaking.}_"

"_{Interesting… so if they ever fought as a team, I'd assume that Pietro and Lance are the hardest two to deal with?}_" Don inquired. Hitomi merely nodded her confirmation. "_{Perhaps we should switch back to English now – I think Kurt's getting a little frustrated with our discussion being in a language he does not know.}_"

"_{Aww, but it's so fun to watch him try to wait for us to speak in English again!}_" Mikey grinned. Raph, being seated next to him, lightly whapped Mikey on the back of the head. "Hey!"

"Sheesh, can we put a muzzle on him?" Raph asked everyone at the table in general, rolling his eyes.

"Vhy? Vhat did he say?" Kurt inquired, looking between them.

"He said he liked watching you wait for us to speak in English again," Leo answered, shaking his head. "It was a very rude thing to say."

"Knucklehead," Raph muttered, scowling.

TMNT XMEN TMNT XMEN TMNT XMEN TMNT XMEN

Mikey and Don sat down at the only table that had only one other person sitting at it, while the rest of the tables were full. Mikey decided that the best thing to do was grin at her, since there really wasn't much else to do. The girl's long brown hair was pulled back into a braid, and, to Mikey's slight surprise, she grinned back.

"Hi there!" she greeted cheerfully. "I've heard rumors that we'd be getting new students – are you both from the Institute?"

"Yeah!" Mikey confirmed enthusiastically. "We just arrived!" Mikey felt a little guilty about the lie, but it was necessary to dispel suspicion. "I'm Mikey! And this is my brother, Don!"

"It's nice to meet you both," the girl chuckled. "I'm Amelia Stoner, but most people call me Mia. If you don't mind me saying, but you guys don't look much like brothers."

"We were adopted really young," Don explained simply. "We grew up as brothers, but we're not directly related."

_At least we don't think we are,_ Mikey supplied silently. They hadn't wanted to ask Dr. McCoy about that, either, simply because it wouldn't change how they felt about each other. They were family, and that was what mattered.

"Ah, that explains it. You're parents must've been really great, to take you all in the way they have," Mia commented with a grin. "Where are you from?"

"We lived outside the town of Hope most of our lives," Don answered simply. They had chosen the town because it had a very low population, and was in a very sparsely populated county in New York. Mikey was glad that Don took on that question – he wasn't sure he wouldn't screw it up. "It's in Hamilton County right here in New York."

"Nice – I've lived here in Bayville my whole life. I think it's cool that the Institute brings in kids from all over the place," Mia told them both. "As I'm sure you're aware, the last student they got grew up in _Japan._ How cool is that?"

"It's awesome!" Mikey grinned at her.

"Excuse me, if I might have everyone's attention," a tall, blonde woman called out. Silence fell over the room, although Mikey wished he could continue talking to Mia. "Class has now begun, so I expect everyone to be working on your personal projects." With a nod, the woman came over to the table Mikey, Don, and Mia sat at. "Welcome to my class. I'm Miss Goodwin."

"I'm Mikey Hamada," Mikey told her, feeling a little more confident about what he was supposed to do now than he had first thing that morning. "Well, Michelangelo, but most people call me Mikey," he amended.

"I'm Donatello Hamada," Don introduced himself softly. "But I tend to go by Don or Donnie."

"Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi is a famous sculptor," Miss Goodwin commented with a smile. "Have you ever worked with clay before?"

"No," Don answered sheepishly, knowing exactly why she was asking.

"Well, I hope you both enjoy experimenting," Miss Goodwin told them both. "Mia here should be able to help you figure out where everything is."

"Yup! No problem!" Mia grinned. Miss Goodwin nodded before she wandered off in a different direction. "C'mon, we'll get some clay and start playing around!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

There's actually not much to say. Amelia Stoner, and any other characters who are not connected with either the X-men or TMNT, are mine. However, only Hitomi is going to be a mutant. After all, it wouldn't make sense to have people attend a high school, and have ONLY mutants or already mentioned characters, now, would it?

I'm not sure when the next chapter is going to be up. I can say for sure that it won't be up this weekend, and it _probably_ won't be up next weekend. I can't say for sure. However, I have finally devised a way to deal with delays that will let you all know as soon as I've realized the delay. If there is not a new chapter, you can visit my forum, **Mourning Star's Corner**, and check the thread, "Updates, delays, and other things." (I'd suggest subscribing to it if you're subscribed to story updates, but you don't have to.)

Finally, please **review!** They help encourage me to write!

**EDIT - **I fixed a mistake that I just caught. If you find spelling, continuity, or any other type of mistake, please let me know. I will happily fix it.

**~Star~**


	14. Ch 14, Give Us Time to Acclimate

Hello all! Although a day later than planned, I give you the next chapter of **Changes**! I am _sooo_ happy to get this chapter out so quickly, but I'm afraid I don't know when the next one will be out at all. I haven't quite decided what I should do next, although I'm leaning towards spending more time in letting the guys get used to school. Then there is also _real_ school starting tomorrow... my senior year at college! So between studying, trying to figure out what's next, and work, I can't guarantee anything on the next update.

After I posted the last chapter, I realized I created _two_ Amelias. TWO! Well, here is one thing I can say about that - I don't think Hitomi's cousin Amelia will be in here very much, if at all. For this story's purpose, 'Mia' will be Amelia Stoner in Don and Mikey's clay class, and 'Amelia' will be Hitomi's cousin. Sorry for doing that!

I want to thank **Alluring Alliteration **and **Laughter's Tears **for their reviews! They were much appreciated!

**Warning:** Language. There are a few swear words in here. (Again, it's Raph - he just can't seem to help it.)

**Disclaimer:** Only the plot, Hitomi, and a few other, but non-mutant characters are mine. If you are confused about which the non-mutants are mine, either review or PM me, and I'll let you know.

**Chapter 14, Give Us Time to Acclimate**

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Leo sighed as he shut the history book that his teacher had provided him with, grateful to be finished the section that they had been assigned to read. The four of them had decided to tackle as much of their homework that they could on their own. If they had too much trouble, they'd get together (probably in Don's room), and work it out together.

The hardest part, Leo decided, wasn't the homework. Or at least, it wasn't the hardest part _directly._ It was more that they were leaping into the classes with most of the semester gone, and had to, somehow, catch up. In the two 'core' classes he had had today, both teachers had assured him that he could take his time to catch up. The goal was to be as caught up as possible by the time they hit midterms, which were just over a month away.

Thankfully, the teachers were prepared to be lenient, considering everything, but it was preferable that they were all up to speed on things _before_ midterms. Leo knew they'd all _try,_ but probably only Donnie would be ready to take the normal midterms. Mikey was most likely to _not_ be ready at all, simply because of his goof-off nature.

_And I don't think Evan's being that good of an influence on him, either,_ Leo sighed as he stood up and stretched. Evan, Leo knew from the other students, would sometimes ditch classes to go skateboarding. Leo was _pretty_ sure that he'd have Mikey doing that soon enough. Then again, Evan didn't have either of his parents here, and Mikey had Master Splinter. It wouldn't be hard keep Mikey in line, although Leo still guessed Mikey would skip class _at least_ once before Master Splinter would come down hard on him.

Just as Leo was about to try and work on his biology homework, he heard a knock at the door. He looked up as he called out, "Come in." He was a little surprised to see Hitomi open the door. "Hey – what are you doing here?" Leo inquired.

"I'm here to see if you need any help," Hitomi answered honestly, grinning as Leo's jaw dropped. "Jean suggested it," she continued. "She said something about how you're all going to need to catch up as quickly as possible, and it was easier with help."

"Then shouldn't you be helping Donnie?" Leo wanted to know. It seemed more appropriate to him that the Japanese girl would do better helping out his smart brother than him.

"I did already – we had the same study hall this morning, so I made sure he wasn't going to need any help understanding the homework we had in our classes then," Hitomi shrugged. "Apparently he already learned everything and didn't need any help completing the homework we were assigned."

"Okay… I guess that makes sense…" Leo blinked, before he shook his head. "It figures Don wouldn't need any help," he chuckled. "And… I guess I could use some assistance… I'm having a little bit of a problem with this biology homework." A light blush rose in his cheeks as he admitted that.

Blushing was still a new concept for them, considering they hadn't been able to when they had been turtles. For Leo, it was especially humiliating. He was used to hiding his embarrassment from his friends and family, and now he was having trouble controlling a basic body function that made his embarrassment very obvious to people.

"Okay, let's see what the problem is," Hitomi told him as she walked up to stand next to him as he fished out his biology notebook and textbook.

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Mikey hit his head against the textbook that sat on his desk. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wrap his head around the math problems that he had to solve for Wednesday. He didn't understand how to prove two triangles were congruent, or even what them being congruent _meant!_ He didn't want to go to any of his brothers and admit defeat just yet, but it was slowly looking like he didn't have much choice.

At least the English assignment had been relatively straightforward and simple. He just had to read up to the point that they were in the book. That had been time consuming, not to mention a little boring, but he had managed it. The only good thing was that they were only four or five chapters into the book, so he didn't have to read the whole thing as fast as he could. Now he was trying hard not to rip his math textbook to shreds for being so impossible to understand.

His head whipped when he heard a knock on the door. _Did one of my bros give up already?_ he wondered, hope rising in the pit of his stomach. If either Raph or Leo had already given up, then he wouldn't look like a complete failure after all! And it would give him the rights to tease whoever had given up unmercifully for the next twenty-four hours.

"Come in!" he called, feeling more cheerful than he had been a minute ago.

"Hello, Mikey," Jean greeted as she opened the door. "How's your homework coming along?"

Mikey deflated a little. So it _wasn't_ one of his brothers here to admit he had given up. "Uh… okay, I guess… I've finally finished my English assignment!" he told her cheerfully, glad he had _one_ positive thing to say.

"And how's your geometry homework coming?" Jean inquired, smiling a little. Mikey deflated, and glared down at the textbook. "Not so well, huh? Would you like some help? It's been a while since I've tackled geometry, but I'm sure I can help you out."

"Would you?" Mikey gaped at her. _Sweet! So I won't have to admit to my brothers that my math homework is too hard!_ "That'd be totally awesome!"

"I'll be happy to help you out," Jean answered cheerfully as she approached his desk. "Let's see… ah, proving two triangles are congruent, huh? Proofs can be pretty tough, especially if you've never proven something before."

"What's congruent?" Mikey wanted to know. "I've been trying to figure it out…" he explained hurriedly.

"If two things are congruent, that means they have are the same size and same shape as each other," Jean answered, a little sympathetically. "Okay, I think it'd be best if we started a little closer to the beginning…"

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Raph hated biology already. It wasn't just that it was a little confusing, and definitely heavy on the whole 'science' aspect that he generally seemed to just suck at. Actually, it was probably that and the fact that he was trying to start studying it towards the end of the first semester. _Thank Shell I'm not tryin' tah understand this shit any _later_ than I already am,_ he thought with a frustrated growl.

He was mostly done with his English assignment. He had had to set the book down every few minutes and get up to pace. He was _tired_ of just sitting down. At least the gym class had helped with the whole thing. He just couldn't sit still all day, and that gym class had been perfectly timed to get him out of a chair.

Raph wanted this biology assignment done already. It was driving him nuts, and it wasn't getting any easier. Since they had all decided that the first one who gave up would knock on the other three's doors and they'd all work on it together, he knew no one else had given up. _Probably doin' all th' easy stuff first,_ he thought with a frustrated sigh. _An' who knows where Don is with his homework._

Just as he was contemplating picking up his textbook and hurling it somewhere (contemplating, because he didn't want to damage the damn thing and get fined), there was a knock at the door. _That's probably Mikey,_ Raph thought with a smirk, grateful nonetheless. _I'd be surprised if it was Leo, but it'd be sweet if it was. And if it was Donnie – yeah, who'm I kiddin'? Don wouldn't _need_ our help to take care of his homework._

Raph, already standing up, walked over to the door and yanked it open. He blinked in surprise to see that it wasn't any of his brothers at all. "S'up, Kurt?" he asked as he leaned on his door frame, surveying the blue boy. Interestingly, Kurt didn't have his watch on. Of course, that was probably to save battery or something like that.

"I vas vondering if you vanted any help," Kurt answered simply, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah? Why're yah offerin'?" Raph frowned at him, trying to guess where he was coming from. _Although it might be nice to have help and not admit it to my brothers…_

"Vell, Jean zhought zat you, Mikey, und Leo might like some help vith your homevork," Kurt answered honestly. "After all, zere is a lot to learn in a short amount of time. Vould you like help?"

"Yah know anythin' about biology?" Raph had to know.

"Vhile I am not in your biology class, I _am_ taking it myself," Kurt replied with a grin. "I should be able to help."

"Then c'mon in," Raph jerked his head at his desk. "I've been tryin' tah figure it out fer a while now."

"Zen help is here," Kurt grinned, giving Raph a mock bow before the two of them headed over to Raph's desk.

Raph couldn't help but grin. There were a lot of things he could hate about his new life, including having to get used to five fingers, but there were also a lot of things that he loved about his new life. Before, they would have had to admit defeat at one point, and get teased unmercifully (usually by Mikey) for needing help. Donnie wasn't the sort to tease, which (in Raph's opinion) was a miracle. If he had been the teasing type, no one would've gone to him for help, regardless of how easy it was for him.

In any case, this was one of the good things about their new lives. The older students had obviously thought about how hard this whole thing would be on them, and were now going out of their way to help them adjust to it. Raph guessed that, once they'd been there a year or so, this wouldn't be a problem for them anymore. It was a passing pain, even if it was an enormous one at that.

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Don leaned on the railing, glaring up at the sky. He couldn't stem off his disappointment, although he could rationalize why he found it so easy. He had been teaching himself everything he could because he had never thought it was _possible_ to go to school. In fact, the only reason it was possible was based on a series of events that Don couldn't have predicted coming to pass.

Of course, that still left him with the problem of knowing pretty much everything that they were teaching him, and more than that, he could probably _teach_ it to other people. He might even be able to teach the _instructors_ something about the subjects they were supposed to be teaching!

It was so frustrating. He wanted to be challenged, and there weren't many ways that the local high school could do that. He knew that, if he wanted to be challenged, he should drop out of high school, get a GED to equal a high school diploma, and attend whichever college he could get into. However, there were several things that spoke out against that.

He wasn't used to people. That was probably the biggest reason to continue high school. At least in high school, he could slowly acclimate to being around large groups of normal human beings. He could argue that he could get used to people in college, but it wasn't quite the same. Besides, if he attended college, he wouldn't know anyone.

At Bayville High School, he knew a small percentage of the population already, with three of them being his own brothers. It wasn't that he wasn't planning on trying to make friends outside of the Institute, but having friends to fall back on while he was there was something that made him feel more at ease.

So there _was_ one good reason to continue attending the high school. It was a social challenge, and that was something, at least. And there were things that attending high school could teach him that he didn't already know. He had never worked with clay before, and it was actually kind of fun. After looking over the rest of the potential courses that Bayville offered, he had to admit there were a few things that he wanted to try out.

He _could_ wish he had gotten into the advanced computer course that Hitomi was in. That sounded interesting, and when he had asked her about it, she had told him that she _was_ actually learning new things in it. Instead of wishing, he simply put that class on the list of classes he wanted to take at some point.

In the meantime, he'd just have to see if he could convince Dr. McCoy to teach him things that the high school couldn't, like advanced chemistry.

He turned at the knock at his door. _Huh… it's almost six… _he thought with a frown. He had expected someone would come asking for help earlier, hoping to avoid admitting that they were having trouble. "C'mon in," he called as he headed back inside.

"Hey, bro," Mikey grinned as the door opened, his hands surprisingly empty. Leo and Raph both stood with equally empty hands. "Wanna do something?" Mikey asked cheerfully. "Or do you still have homework to complete?" he teased.

"Mikey, my homework has been done since noon," Don replied dryly. "So all three of you are done now?"

"Yeah – apparently Jean decided to corral two of the other students to help us complete our homework," Leo answered with a grin. "Hitomi helped me with mine, Jean helped Mikey, and Kurt helped Raph. We're all done."

"Wow, that's great, guys," Don couldn't help but grin. _That makes things easier…_ "So what were you thinking about, Mikey?"

"I was thinking we could play either ping-pong or pool!" he grinned. "Or maybe even take over the TV and play some video games!"

"Let's not get our hopes up," Leo pointed out dryly. "We might not be able to get the TV, but we _should_ be able to get the pool table or ping-pong table."

"Hey, I know what Leo wants to do!" Mikey grinned, obviously wanting to turn the tables on his brother. "He wants to go to the dojo to practice!" he laughed. "But he _caaan't!"_

"In case you haven't noticed, Mikey," Leo remarked dryly, "I _have_ been going to the dojo these past few weeks, as have Donnie and Raph, during the hour after dinner. I can wait until then to practice."

"Wait, what? You mean… all _three _of you have been practicing?" Mikey started, staring between his brothers. All three of them laughed.

"Yeah, knucklehead," Raph snorted, grabbing Mikey's head in a headlock and ruffling his hair before letting him go. "I felt so damned outta practice that I just had'tah go down."

"We all did," Leo agreed calmly. "While _you've_ been playing video games, Mikey, we all decided to practice."

"It wasn't required, Mikey," Don put in hurriedly, seeing his little brother's shoulders slump. "It was just something we decided to do, to try and get back in shape."

"I _still_ say it was a damn good thing tha' Hitomi trained with us, too," Raph grumbled, shaking his head. "Those first two weeks were damn embarrassin'."

"Hitomi trained with you guys?" Mikey's eyes widened at that.

"Yeah," Raph shrugged. "Haven'cha heard tha' she tends tah practice _every day?_ Sheesh, Mikey, g't yer head outta th' clouds."

"Let's go," Leo suggested as he started towards the stairs. "So – what did you all think of high school?"

"It's diff'rent," Raph shrugged. "I gotta say, I liked that auto-shop class. Heck, I kinda like that Lance kid – he's pretty in'erestin' once he gets pas' the whole 'are yah a mutant' thing that he _so_ needs to practice bein' subtle with."

"Oh yeah?" Leo asked in surprise. "So you got along with him…"

"Yeah – he knows his way around an engine," Raph grinned. "He's not that bad. How 'bout you, Mikey?"

"It was okay… I met this awesome girl in my clay class, though! She's so much fun!" Mikey perked up at that, grinning widely.

"She definitely _is_ interesting," Donnie agreed dryly. "Her name is Amelia Stoner, but goes by the name Mia," he explained.

"What did you think of school, Don?" Leo asked, a slight smile playing across his mouth.

"It was interesting," Don shrugged. "And quite honestly, I was hoping for something a little more… challenging, I guess. But it's interesting nonetheless."

"Ha! That's _so_ you, Don!" Mikey laughed at that as Raph snorted, and Leo's smile turned to a grin.

_Yeah, laugh it up, guys,_ Don thought irritably. _But I'm serious about it. At least _you_ guys are getting challenged._

"So what about you, Leo? How'd you like school?" Don inquired, lifting an eyebrow as he met his oldest brother's gaze.

Leo blinked, the grin fading from his face. "It was… I don't know, interesting, I guess. It's kind of hard to make a good assessment right now, since I feel so far behind in some subjects," Leo answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "There is just so much going on that I can't really get a good handle on everything."

"It's gonna be tough tryin' tah catch up," Raph agreed with a sigh. "Not tah mention gettin' used tah bein' human and goin' tah school 'n' all."

"We'll just have to acclimate as best we can," Don remarked with a shrug.

"Aw, there's our Donnie!" Mikey grinned. "Using words the rest of us can't understand!"

"Acclimate – it means to adjust to change," Donnie explained, hiding an inward sigh. He never could seem to remember to use words that all of his brothers would understand. Of course, some of them weren't even that hard to understand that Mikey just couldn't seem to get, but he was used to being teased about his vocabulary.

"Hey, cool! The TV's open! Let's play Mario Kart on the Wii!" Mikey gasped as they entered the game room, turning to grin at his brothers.

"Sure, Mikey – let's go," Leo smiled at his little brother, and the four headed towards the gaming system.

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**Author's Notes**

I really enjoy this chapter, in part because of how it shows the brothers, and their attempts to get a handle on things. If the last chapter had been written faster and with less delays, some of the topics I touch in this chapter would have ended up at the end of the last one. That said, I much prefer this chapter to my original plan. Originally, the guys would have just chatted about what they thought of school and then separated and gone to work on schoolwork. This way feels much more natural to me, and I have to admit I really like how it turned out. Especially Raph's part.

Besides that, I think it would have taken me at least one, maybe two more weeks to get that last chapter out if I had tried to fit in their discussion without making it seem forced.

I'll try to get the next chapter out as quickly as possible, but don't expect an update soon. (I'm _hoping_ that I'll have time enough to get one ready for 9/11, but we'll see.)

Finally, please **REVIEW!**

**~Star~**


	15. Ch 15, Social Situations

I FINALLY have this chapter done! I'm sorry it took so long, but with writer's block, preparations for this semester, and a lot of other things, well, I've been unable to work on it, even though I wanted to. I ended up having to scrap my original plan for part of the chapter, because I had no idea how to write it, but I think I like what I have instead.

Thank you to **Alluring Aliteration**, **Shado-Ookami**, and** SuishoTalim** for your reviews! I'm very sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter!

**Warning:** There is a single instance of a swear word here, towards the end of the chapter.

**Disclaimer**: see previous chapters

**Chapter 15, Social Situations**

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There were times that Hitomi could wish that things weren't the way they were. Quite simply, she hated being the 'strange foreign girl' that nearly everyone at the high school thought of her as. It was why she had taken on the slight accent that she had while at the school. It was expected, and whenever she didn't use any accent, people stared at her like she was crazy. Once, someone at the previous high school she had attended had even accused her of 'trying to fit in where you don't belong.'

Hitomi grimaced as she slid into her seat in front of a computer and logged in. It seemed like she would never belong anywhere. It would always boil down to her appearance, which was too Japanese to be considered American, and too different to be considered truly Japanese. In many ways, she viewed her unique appearance as a curse.

Of course, she now suspected it had been a hint that she would not be normal. It was a hint that her very DNA contained more in it than other, 'normal' people. While her appearance was nowhere near as drastically different as Kurt's or Dr. McCoy's, it was still strange.

Hitomi was just about to check her e-mail before class officially started when someone actually took the seat next to her. Hitomi's computer programming class had twenty-four computers, but only eighteen students. Mr. Reese didn't care where anyone sat, and being the 'strange foreign girl,' hardly anyone wanted to sit next to her.

Hitomi covertly eyed the girl, whose strawberry-blonde hair was so curly it didn't seem to want to behave. After focusing on her computer for a moment, she turned to Hitomi.

"Um… hi," the girl greeted shyly. "I know we've been in the same class for months now, but… we weren't properly introduced. I'm Rachel Miles."

Hitomi turned to look properly at the girl, surprised by the way she just out of the blue decided to come up and introduce herself. "My name Hitomi Weber," Hitomi introduced, deliberately leaving out the 'is' as part of her accent. "Nice to meet you," she added, holding out her hand.

"Yeah… I…" Rachel hesitated. "I saw you yesterday," she blurted, blushing furiously. "You… talked normal with the new boy, Leo, in our history class," she explained hurriedly, not meeting Hitomi's eyes. Hitomi stared at her, fascinated. "I…" Rachel took a deep breath. "I wanted to get to know you before, but…"

It clicked all of a sudden. "My accent made you more nervous than normal," Hitomi suggested softly, letting the false accent disappear entirely. Rachel met her eyes, relief in her own pale blue ones as she nodded. "I'm sorry – most people that I've met in schools here in America dislike hearing me talk without one. Aren't you also in Honors English with me as well?"

Rachel nodded an affirmative. "I normally sit as far away from the teacher as possible," she whispered, staring at her hands. "I… I'm not good at… socializing and stuff," she confessed, blushing again.

"There are all types in the world," Hitomi told the girl honestly. Before she could continue, Mr. Reese cleared his throat, and the two girls gave him their attention.

As she listened to Mr. Reese give them instructions on what they would be learning today, Hitomi couldn't help but glance at Rachel. The people who wanted to talk to her were few, and as Hitomi thought about Rachel, she realized why the shy girl might want to befriend someone as out of place as Hitomi.

Hitomi had never seen her hang out with anyone in particular, and seemed to be more interested in studying than anything else. Rachel Miles was, by far, the _shiest_ person Hitomi had ever met. Only now did it occur to her that Rachel must not have many, if any, friends.

_We'll see if we actually get along,_ Hitomi decided as she started working on the latest project. _Maybe… _just_ maybe… I can actually have a friend at this high school who _isn't_ also from the Institute._

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Leo slid into a seat in his third class, which happened to be a study hall. He was still a little surprised at how he had three classes out of four on his 'A' days with Raph, but in a way, that could be a good thing. Of course, it could also be a bad thing, considering how competitive they both were. It all depended on the situation, he guessed.

Leo pulled his English book out of his backpack, since he didn't want to try tackling his mathematics homework just yet. It was easier to try and deal with his English assignment than that, and it would, hopefully, take the entire period to complete. He glanced at Raph, who had pulled out a history textbook. Apparently _he_ felt the same way about their algebra homework as Leo did.

Leo forced his focus onto the book. He had to stop being so tense, and be more natural, even if it was really hard. He just wasn't used to being surrounded by strangers, with only one of his brothers there. It didn't help that a lot of the students were looking at him curiously.

"Hey, you're one of the new kids from the Institute, right?" someone asked as the seat next to Leo squeaked. Leo nearly jumped, but managed just in time to relax. The boy who had decided to sit next to him had sandy blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a mouth that looked like it liked to smile. "I'm Jason White," he added as he held out a hand.

Leo set down the book and shook it. "Leo Hamada," he responded. "And yes, I'm one of the new students from the Institute."

"Cool. Ms. Blanca doesn't mind if we chat, so long as we're not loud and obnoxious about it," Jason explained. "So where are you from?"

"Outside a little town named Hope here in New York," Leo answered, feeling a little guilty about the lie but needing it nonetheless. "How about you?"

"I've lived here in Bayville my whole life," Jason grinned. "It's kind of fun to have all sorts of new students come in from all over the place. I get exposed to cultures I'd never learn about otherwise, although some of the students are hard to understand, like Kurt Wagner and Hitomi Webber."

"Hitomi isn't as hard to understand as Kurt," Leo remarked, unable to resist the opportunity to get his friend to stop feeling like it was something she _had_ to do. "She actually feels like she has to have the accent to keep people from getting mad at her. She told me that she visited her American relatives at least once a year for her whole life before moving here."

"Really? I've never heard her without an accent!" Jason gaped at him, stunned.

"She mentioned having attended a different high school before she was accepted at the Institute," Leo pointed out. "She probably decided to have the accent when she made the change, so people wouldn't freak out."

"Damn – _I _wouldn't care if she was from Japan but had no accent. Jeez, where'd she go before?" Jason wanted to know.

"Somewhere in New York City, I think," Leo responded. He felt immensely cheered, since he now had the proof that Hitomi didn't _have_ to pretend to have an accent.

"Oh really? And they _don't_ have an accent?" Jason scowled at that, shaking his head.

Raph suddenly banged his history textbook on the table Leo and Jason were sitting at. "Ah can't take it anymore," he grumbled, pulling over a chair. "It's jus' so damn _borin'._"

Leo fought hard not to laugh at the startled expression on Jason's face. "Jason, this is my brother Raph. Raph, this is Jason White," he introduced.

"Okay… how'd _you_ end up with a Brooklyn accent?" Jason blurted, staring between Raph and Leo.

"I think th' better question is how _I_ ended up with a Brooklyn accent an' our youngest brother ended up with a California accent without ever leaving New York," Raph smirked. "And our other brother speaks geek."

"O… kay," Jason blinked, startled. "What do you mean when you say your brother speaks 'geek'?"

"He's inta math, science, technology – you name it, Don's inta it," Raph answered with a shrug.

"And I take it none of the rest of you are that interested in any of that," Jason smirked.

"Not really," Leo responded, letting out a sigh. "He's been tinkering with things as long as I can remember."

"Really? That's pretty interesting," Jason blinked at that. "So he's really into technology?"

"Yeah – he's good at it, too," Raph chuckled. "A'course, it's fun tah pick on him about it."

"If you're brothers, then of course you do," Jason laughed himself. "It's just too much fun to pick on my little brother!" Leo couldn't help but grin, and feel amazed at how _easy_ it was to talk to Jason. Of course, he was making it easy, but still. "So do you guys play any sports?"

"That depends on what your definition of 'sports' is," Leo remarked calmly, feeling strangely at ease with Jason. "We're familiar with most sports, but have never actually played a great number of them."

"Oh, that's a bummer… see, my friends Jack and Miles were thinking about playing basketball after school, but we need more people…" Jason sighed. An idea seemed to dawn on him, and he asked, "Would you guys be interested in learning how to play?"

"Eh, sure, why not? I bet we could corral Donnie, Mikey, an' Hitomi tah play, too," Raph shrugged, looking at Leo. "Might be fun."

It was clear to Leo that Raph was going to do it, regardless of how Leo felt about it. He was, however, inviting him to join them, and trying to subtly coerce him into trying it, too. Leo considered it, and couldn't see any real problems with it. "It could be… I'll join, too," he agreed, hoping his slight hesitation didn't show much.

"Sweet! And if we get the other three, we'd have four on four!" Jason grinned, a look of triumph on his face. "I'll tell Jack and Miles at lunch, and we'll meet you in front of the gym, okay? And if you don't get your brothers and friend, that's fine, too – we'll work it out."

Raph and Leo exchanged a bemused look at his uninhibited enthusiasm. Leo decided that it was a good thing Jason wasn't shy – otherwise they'd miss out on this interesting opportunity.

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"So you two are going to play basketball with someone you only just met," Donnie stared at them over the lunch table, stunned. He couldn't believe how little time it had taken for his two older brothers to find something to do after school.

"Hey, we thought you, Mikey, and Hitomi could join us as well," Raph pointed out. "Yah gotta at least try it _once."_

"I'm in," Mikey announced excitedly, grinning between his brothers. "It'll be so much fun! C'mon, Don, Hitomi, you gotta join, too!"

Hitomi laughed, shaking her head. "All right, I'll join you," she told him, the corners of her mouth twitching. "I still can't believe you told him that my accent was fake," she added dryly to Leo.

"He's the one who brought it up," Leo defended himself, although he was grinning. "Besides, I don't think you should let what the other students think affect what you do."

"As much as I hate agreein' with Leo, he's got a point," Raph added firmly. "Yah shouldn't hafta pretend tah have somethin' yah don't."

Hitomi snorted. "You guys make it sound so easy," she told them, shaking her head. "Back in New York City, I _had_ to have the accent, or I would've had quite a number of problems with the other students. And before you say that I could've told a teacher, they can't protect you from _everything_ other students can do. No one has the power to _force_ someone to talk to me."

"Ouch," Don winced, knowing exactly what she was hinting at. "That must've been a very delicate situation, but people here seem to be more accepting of you having an accent."

"I guess so," Hitomi snorted again, smirking at them. "So, you never gave us an answer – are you going to join us in the basketball game."

Don sighed. "Since it _is_ something I have never done before, I'll join you. Besides – with me, you have even teams, assuming that they don't get any of their other friends to join in," he decided.

"All right! This'll be great," Mikey grinned, bouncing excitedly. "We're finally getting to play our first basketball game! I can't wait!"

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Raph grinned as he waved at Jason, who stood beside two fairly tall boys. One, the slightly taller one, had dark brown hair and matching brown eyes. The other one had a light brown hair and blue eyes. Jason grinned as he waved back.

Raph and Leo hurried over to them. "Hey – this is Miles Price and Jack Ramos," Jason introduced, with the taller one being Miles and the shorter one being Jack. "Guys, this is Raph and Leo Hamada," he added as he indicated the two.

"Nice tah meet'cha," Raph shook their hands.

"Same here," Jack agreed, grinning. "So did you get the rest of your brothers?"

"Don't forget Hitomi," Jason put in, gently pushing Jack in jest.

"They are planning on meeting us here," Leo answered firmly. "All three of them sounded interested."

"Sweet!" Miles grinned. "Then we'll be able to do a four-on-four game! It's always more fun with more people," he explained cheerfully.

"Yo, Mikey!" Raph suddenly yelled, waving. The four others turned to see Mikey cheerfully ran up to them. He had to smirk as his youngest brother grinned at the three boys he _didn't_ know. "Mike, this is Jason, Jack, and Miles," he introduced, indicating each boy in turn.

"Nice to meet you, Mikey," Jason told the hyperactive boy with a smile. "I'm glad you decided to join us."

"Dude, this is going to be so exciting!" Mikey enthused. "I've never played basketball before, and I can't _wait_ to try it!"

Jack grinned at that. "I hope you enjoy it, then," he commented cheerfully. "Miles, Jason, and I have been playing basketball for as long as I can remember, so we'll go easy on you!"

Mikey laughed. "Hey, we might not have played basketball before, but we're no pushovers!" he grinned. "We might surprise you!" He started to bounce as he waved, and the last two people they were waiting for hurried over. "Don, Hitomi, this is Jason, Miles, and Jack!" the exuberant boy introduced.

"It's nice to meet you," Donnie told the three of them.

"Same here," Jason agreed. "C'mon, let's go play some basketball!" he added excitedly before he headed into the gym. With a shared grin, Miles and Jack followed him, with the rest not far behind. All Raph knew for certain was that this was going to be interesting.

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"So how was basketball?" Jean asked during the ride back to the Institute. She had just picked the four guys and Tomi up after their basketball game. Earlier in the day, she had been surprised when Tomi had caught up with her and let her know that they were staying late, but had instantly offered to pick them up when they were done. It was good for them to get involved with other students, and to have fun. The guys needed to know what it was like to be human, and fit in with the rest of society.

"Awesome! We're all going to get together after school on Friday and play again!" Mikey boasted excitedly, grinning widely.

"It _was_ pretty cool," Leo agreed, a small smile on his face.

"It was great, showin' those guys that we ain't pushovers," Raph smirked, evidently pleased with himself. "Jus' 'cause we haven' ever played basketball before don' mean much tah _us_."

"Yes, but we're still out of shape," Leo pointed with a sigh. "Especially _you_, Mikey."

"Aw, Leo," Mikey whined. "How was I supposed to know that everyone but me was practicing? It's not like you _told_ me anything about it until yesterday!"

"If you had been more observant, Mikey, you _would've_ noticed without Leo having to tell you," Don remarked calmly. "But Leo's right – we're _really_ out of shape," he sighed.

"I doubt Jason, Jack, and Miles thought that you guys were out of shape," Tomi snickered. "Considering all of you could barely _walk_ a few months ago without getting exhausted, you've all come a long way. Tell yourself _that_ instead of how out of shape you are."

"Tomi's right," Jean agreed, smiling a little. "You guys can move around a lot better than you could when you first got to the Institute."

"But we're still not even _close_ to how fit we were before all this happened," Leo felt compelled to point out with a scowl. "How can we be happy with _that_ knowledge?"

"Tch," Tomi rolled her eyes. "Stop complaining about what you lost already. So what if you're not as fit as you used to be? It's not that hard to get back in shape. Sure, it'll take time, but complaining about it doesn't make the problem disappear any faster, and it pisses me off," she grumbled, glaring at Leo in particular. "Shit happens. Get. Over. It," she finished, emphasizing each word to make her point.

Jean hid a groan. This was one of the things about Hitomi that made the girl impossible to deal with. Even worse, correcting her language (as mild as it was) was useless until she had calmed down.

Jean opened her mouth to change the topic when Leo spoke up. "You're right, Hitomi, and I'm sorry," he apologized with a sigh. "I just… hate feeling so, well, out of shape. But you're right."

"At least it _is_ something that will come back," Don pointed out. "Our level of fitness is not dependent on our being turtles, and we're well on our way back to being fit again."

"Except Mikey, who's been neglectin' practicin'," Raph snorted, gently pushing Mikey's shoulder. "He's still outta shape."

"Thanks ever so much," Mikey commented sourly.

"At least you've started working on it, Mike," Don remarked. "Just keep joining us for practice, and you'll catch up with us."

"Fair enough," Mikey agreed with a sigh. "So – you still mad at us, Hitomi?" he grinned at the girl, trying to tease her into a better mood.

"No," she responded, smiling a little. "Just stop complaining about something that you can change, and I won't get mad at you guys again."

"Deal!" the hyperactive turtle-turned-human agreed instantly, while Leo, Raph, and Don nodded in agreement. "Oh! Are we going to get help with homework again or what?" he directed that question towards Jean.

"Yes," she confirmed with a small smile of her own. "I think that Kurt's going to help you today, Mikey, since you're in the same biology class, and then Kitty is supposed to help you guys with your French."

"Ug… don' remind me," Raph groaned. "I still can' believe we hafta take a foreign language class. We already know Japanese – don' that count at _all?_"

"Apparently not," Tomi sighed. "I have to take a foreign language class as well, and I'm from a _foreign country._ I think it's our fluency in both languages that make people want to see us struggle with a language that we're not comfortable in."

"Dude, that's totally not fair!" Mikey complained.

"Hey, at least you'll know more languages than the average person," Jean pointed out, hoping to calm them down about this. "Besides, it's more that most US high schools require its graduates to have taken at least one year of a foreign language than anything else."

"Yeah, but that don' make it any easier tah deal with," Raph grumbled. "Stupid requirements."

"It makes you reevaluate life, though, doesn't it?" Don commented softly. "Last year, we didn't even have a chance to go out during the daylight hours. Now… now we're complaining about _high school_ _graduation requirements._ It's so…"

"Different," Leo finished for him, nodding. "It's different and strange… and even a little weird, when you bring it into perspective. But it's… it's not a _bad_ change."

"No," Don agreed, grinning slightly. "It's not a bad change at all."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

I had wanted to actually write out the basketball scene, but I know little about basketball, and that's mostly from watching Disney movies where basketball plays a central role, like "Double Teamed," "Full Court Miracle," and "Luck of the Irish." In other words - I probably wouldn't have done that great a job at it. Soccer, I know a lot about (having actually played it), but since I know little about basketball, well, it would've been very hard to write. And it was contributing to my writer's block. So I trashed that idea.

Speaking of Disney, I want to say that the new Marvel Animations has a very cool new cartoon out on Disney XD called "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes." It's actually good (from my perspective, anyway), and really fun to watch. It has a lot of great one-liners, and seems to be true to the characters. It's definitely the best show on anything Disney lately. (It's the only good show on those channels, which I find sad - seriously, I _grew up_ on Disney. I **hated** "That's So Raven," and now almost _**all**_ their shows are like that! Ug...)

Sorry about that little rant... and enough about Disney. Witchcraftial, on youtube, has all of the episodes, although here's a fair warning - watch episodes 3-7 first, then 1&2, and then 8 onwards. Long story short, episodes 3-7 are the 20 or so micro-episodes that Disney had been airing prior to the release of 1&2 compiled into full-length episodes. Also, you can catch new episodes on Sundays on Disney XD at 10:30 AM.

That's all from me! Please take the time to **review.** Reviews are very appreciated.

Speaking of, just in case I forgot to reply to you, **SuishoTalim**, I'm going to show their powers for at least another couple of chapters. I want them to get through Christmas first. And no, it's not going to be like the Super Turtles from the dimension Mikey went to. Other than that, you'll just have to wait to find out what they can do!

Now I think I'm going to start chapter 16 while I still have inspiration and that writer's block on the run...

**~Star~**


	16. Ch 16, First Confrontation

Hello Everyone!

First off - I'm **VERY** sorry about how long it took to get this chapter up, but I can explain. First off - writer's block, the bane of all writers! Secondly - time. I had a great number of projects this last semester that took up a great deal of time and effort. I even went to Bali for a class over spring break, which took even more time! Thirdly - my computer died! I had started this chapter, and my computer just died on me. I can't even get it to turn on at this point! So I had to restart this whole chapter, although I have to admit I like this newer version than the way I had originally started it.

Thanks to: **SuishoTalim, Linzerj, Fireh****edgehog, Outasync, The Mutant Rebel, Wildfiredreams, **and **All in the Details** for your reviews! I hope you guys enjoy this!

**Disclaimer:** See previous chapters**  
**

**Chapter 16, First Confrontation**

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He glanced at the teacher before he walked up to the only new Institute student in his gym class. Pietro Maximoff wanted to see what this Leonardo Hamada was like, and if he could be persuaded to switch sides. There was also the fact that no one had an idea on what he or his brothers could do. Lance had tried to pump Raphael, who was in Lance's auto-shop class, for information with no luck.

_Well, I'm not going to fail! I'm better than him!_ Pietro thought with a smirk. "We weren't introduced the other day. I'm Pietro Maximoff," he introduced himself as he surveyed him. Leo gave him a slightly startled look as Hitomi scowled at him. Of course, since she was providing such a fun challenge, Pietro couldn't help but try to go out on a date with her.

But that wasn't his goal today. No, he had something more important to do today. The raven-haired boy gave him a contemplating look, but finally answered with the simple, "I'm Leonardo Hamada."

"What do you want, Pietro?" Hitomi demanded, her hands on her hips.

"I just want to talk to Leonardo here," he told her with a smirk. "Is there a problem with that?" Hitomi glared at him, but she couldn't give him a good answer to his question. And, because he couldn't help himself, he added, "You're cute when you're angry."

Fury blazed in her eyes. Leonardo put a hand on her shoulder, which Pietro found interesting. "What do you want to talk to me about?" he asked coolly as Hitomi looked at him.

_Right, back on target…_ "I wanted to get to know you," he answered, only giving him part of the truth. "After all…" and here he leaned in and dropped the volume he was speaking at, "we're superior to ordinary… _humans_."

Shock entered Leonardo's eyes before an almost rock-hard fury entered them. "I'm not sure I want to get to know _you,"_ he retorted coldly.

"Ignore him, Leo," Hitomi told him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "He's not worth getting upset over."

"Hey, if he wants to be with weirdoes like you, be my guest!" Pietro snickered. "I'm sure it's an improvement over where he used to live!"

Muscles stiffened in response to that. "Take. That. Back," Leo snarled, his hands curling into fists.

"Why should I? I bet living at the Institute is the best you can do, because obviously your parents don't care about you! And I bet you're just as pathetic as all the other Institute kids," he continued to insult Leo, watching with pleasure as the other boy got more and more furious. He made a pretend punch at Leo's head, only to find his punch dodged and a fist hitting his face faster than he had expected Leo to react. He staggered backwards in response, staring as Leo moved into a defensive position.

"Hey!" the teacher, Ms. Melvin, called as she hurried over. "What's going on here?" she demanded as she looked between Pietro and the now-mortified Leo.

"Ms. Melvin, Pietro provoked him," one of the humans in the class piped up as she moved closer. "He was insulting the new kid! And then he almost punched him!"

"Ja!" the blue-furred X-man added in confirmation.

"Hey, I was just _talking,"_ Pietro protested as he stood up. "_He's_ the one who punched _me!"_

Ms. Melvin frowned, looking between the two of them. "You've been a trouble-maker since you came here, Pietro," she pointed out coolly. "Let me get Mr. Thayer, and I'll take _both _of you up to the principal's office. Both of you, come with me."

Pietro glared at Leo, who guiltily followed the teacher out of the gym. As Ms. Melvin leaned into the physical education department room, he leaned over. "I'll get you back for this," he told him angrily. "And you'll regret it!" Leo gave him a disgusted look, but refused to say anything else.

"Thanks, Phil," Ms. Melvin stated as she straightened. "Okay, you two – let's get you up to the principal's office."

"What about my eye?" Pietro demanded. "It hurts!"

"Don't worry – you'll have that taken care of too, Pietro," Ms. Melvin replied. "But you can explain yourself to Principal Kelly first."

As they headed up to the office, Pietro couldn't help but watch Leo. _What is with this guy? First he's polite and answers me, even though it seems Hitomi _warned_ him about me. Then I mention that we're superior, and he gets upset. Further insults and he _punches_ me… and now he's upset about it? Maybe he's one of those goody-two-shoes who doesn't like breaking rules… _Pietro rolled his eyes. _Figures – that probably means he won't go for switching sides at all._

_Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. It's much more fun to test limits than to play it safe!_

"Sir, we had the start of a fight in my class," Ms. Melvin stated, breaking into Pietro's thoughts. He gave Principal Kelly a glare. He had liked it much better when Mystique had been disguised as Raven Darkholme and had been the principal here. He got out of a lot of trouble when she had been there.

"I see… what happened?" Mr. Kelly inquired, looking between the repentant Leo and the defiant Pietro.

"He punched me for no reason!" Pietro told him first, pointing an accusing finger at Leo.

"Sir, I did punch him… but only after he insulted where I was staying, my friend, and my father," Leo objected to that. He gave Pietro a glare. "_And_ he tried to hit me first!"

"Elena Lusk confirms Leo's story," Ms. Melvin added.

"I was just _pretending_ to punch him! He reacted before I could pull my punch back so I wouldn't hit him!" Pietro protested, this time honestly.

"Most people would take that motion from someone who had been _insulting_ them as an attack, regardless of whether or not it hit them," Mr. Kelly pointed out sourly. "So… it seems all the blame lays on Pietro Maximoff… even though I notice Mr. Hamada here does not even have a scratch on him to show for the beginnings of a fight." Leo looked away at that. "Since this is confirmed by Ms. Melvin and Miss Lusk, this leads me to the disciplinary actions I must enact. Mr. Maximoff, you are suspended for the next three days. I don't want to see you bullying anyone else or starting any more fights, got it?"

"Whatever," Pietro scowled, looking away. _Homo _inferior, he thought savagely. He didn't even care – it wasn't like he _liked_ school, anyway.

"Mr. Hamada, since you are new here, this is your first offense, and Mr. Maximoff started it, I will let you slide with a warning. But I don't want to see _you_ fighting, either. If anyone starts bullying you or insulting you again, either walk away or get a teacher," he continued, giving Leo a long, hard look. "Dismissed," he finished, nodding.

"Thank you, sir," Leo told him, relief evident in his voice. _Yup, a goody-goody,_ Pietro thought with annoyance.

"Leo, you can go back to class," Ms. Melvin informed him calmly. "Pietro, I'll take you to the nurse's office to get that black eye looked at."

_I am _so_ going to get that Leonardo Hamada back for this,_ Pietro fumed. He didn't care about the suspension, but the black eye he had was something he had never expected to get. It wasn't fair, especially since he was _Quicksilver,_ the fastest person alive. He was furious that he hadn't expected Leo to punch him, and dodging hadn't been an option unless he wanted to show off his speed. Currently, they were trying to hide their existence from ordinary humans, so he couldn't have. That didn't mean he couldn't get revenge. _Get ready, Leo… I'm going to make you pay for this insult!_

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Don frowned as Leo collapsed onto the seat next to him on the bus back to the Institute. Leo acted almost as if he had done something wrong, and was embarrassed. He wasn't blushing, but that didn't mean anything. He was sure something had happened, but he had no idea _what_ had happened.

Well, he could ignore it until they were in a more private area and could discuss it without embarrassing Leo any further. He grinned as Hitomi, who had taken the front seat, turned back to look at them. "How was gym class, Hitomi?" he asked her. "Did Pietro bother you again?"

Hitomi rolled her eyes. "He _always_ hits on me, which drives me absolutely _crazy,"_ she answered in exasperation. "It doesn't seem like any of my hints that I'm just not that into him have gotten through that thick skull of his!"

"I zink Leo's point got zrough!" Kurt commented from his seat across from Hitomi, grinning as Leo flushed. "He sure shut up aftervards!"

"Relatively, anyway," Hitomi agreed, rolling her eyes at the blue-furred boy.

"Wait – what happened in your gym class?" Mikey inquired, leaning forward to look at the embarrassed Leo. "Dude, you're embarrassed again!" he said teasingly. Out of all of them, Mikey loved the fact that Leo now blushed most of all. Don figured it had to do with the fact that Mikey had always tried to embarrass Leo before, but had never been able to really tell if he was or not. Leo blushed even darker in response to Mikey's statement.

"I think Pietro was trying to figure out how sympathetic to humans Leo was," Hitomi answered, shrugging. "And Pietro decided, after Leo's response, to provoke him. It was mostly verbal, although at the end Pietro _did_ look like he was going to punch Leo."

"An' he defended himself," Raph guessed, grinning. "So does tha' mean Fearless here got tah go tah the principal's office?"

Leo shot Raph a glare, obviously annoyed with the nickname. "Unfortunately," he grumbled. "Although I just got off with a warning, since Pietro provoked me."

"The way Pietro was going about it could be interpreted as bullying, which is kind of frowned upon," Hitomi commented.

"So _Leo,_ Mr. Responsibility, got sent tah the principal's office before _me?_" Raph smirked. "Damn, yah beat me. But hey – way tah go, Leo!"

"I'm not sure we should be encouraging getting sent to the principal's office," Don commented wryly, although he had to grin at Raph's approval.

"No, it's not a good thing," Leo agreed, glaring at Raph.

"At least you didn't _actually_ get in trouble," Hitomi pointed out. "It was Pietro's fault, and he got the blame like he should have."

"I think I made a new enemy in him, though," Leo comment with a wry grin.

"Look at it this way – originally you were his enemy by default. Now you at least deserve him hating you!" Hitomi told him brightly. "I always say it's better to deserve what you get rather than just taking it!"

"Tch – good point!" Raph snickered, grinning. "So what exactly did he say tah provoke yah?"

"…I'll tell you later," Leo replied, looking around the bus. "In my room, before we do homework if you want."

"Duh," Raph remarked, rolling his eyes. "If yah don't tell us soon, _I'm_ gonna punch yah!"

Leo chuckled at that. "You could try," he offered with a smile.

"I might hafta, now – just tah wipe that smile off'a yer face!" Raph smirked at him.

"And I might have to kick your ass, just to wipe that smirk off of _your_ face," Leo responded, his smile widening.

"At least wait until we're back at the Institute before you two decide to fight," Don told them, completely amused by this direction of the conversation. "How was biology, Raph?"

Raph groaned at that. "It went like _shit,_" he grumbled. "I don't know how yah do it, Don. It really sucks."

"That's my opinion, too!" Mikey put in, pouting a little. "Why do we _need_ math and science, anyway?"

"It's supposed to make you more well-rounded when you enter the real world," Hitomi answered with a laugh. "That's why we have such diverse graduation requirements. At least they have different level classes, so that those who excel in some areas can learn at a pace that suits them and those who don't excel in those areas can learn at a pace that suits them as well."

"It _is_ the smart way to do it," Leo agreed, before he let out a sigh. "I wish we had better preparation for coming into school. I feel like we're struggling just to _try_ to catch up…" He glanced at Don and smiled again. "Well, except for _you_, Don."

"It figures you'd have the easiest time getting caught up," Mikey scowled at him.

"Brainiac," Raph snickered, causing Don to roll his eyes.

"It makes you reevaluate the way we were living, now that we have new expectations on us, doesn't it?" Don asked instead of directly confronting those statements. "I mean, before, it didn't _matter_ what we did with our time beyond training. Now…"

"We have to go to school and try to understand everything they're teaching us," Leo finished, nodding slightly. "If we had known this was coming, we probably would have prepared better…"

"Hey, no one can predict the future," Hitomi pointed out cheerfully. "Well, except for any precognitive mutants that are out there… but that's different, and even then, I've heard it's chancy."

"Eh, it don't matter," Raph shrugged. "It happened, an' we can't change it. We just gotta adjust, even if it's takin' a lot longer than we'd like it tah."

"You can say that again," Leo sighed, shaking his head.

"Hey, don't worry about how long it's taking – just do what you can, and everything will sort itself out," Hitomi reprimanded them gently.

"In other words: quit complaining, right?" Mikey grinned at her, causing her to laugh. "Ha! I knew it! Am I good or what?" This pronouncement caused everyone to snicker at him, but he only grinned wider.

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"WHAT?" Raph yelled, staring in growing shock and fury at Leo. "HE SAID THAT?" At Leo's confirming nod, he let out a low growl. "I'm gonna kick that punk's ass!" he snarled as he turned to head out the door. Only running into something solid – and invisible to his eyes – stopped him. He gave Hitomi a glare.

"As much as I'd like to see Pietro get what he deserves, I don't think you'd actually be able to take him on. It has nothing to do with skill – and everything to do with speed," she explained sourly. "He doesn't care about anything except for having fun – and challenging himself, _except_ for when it comes to _not_ using his powers. Mind you, this is just my observations, but I think he enjoys seeing how fast he can accomplish things, and hates having to go at 'normal' speed."

"And it doesn't help that he probably expects us to _already_ have whatever abilities we're supposed to have," Don pointed out, equally upset about what Pietro had said to Leo.

"We _still_ should find'a way tah make him pay for that bullshit!" Raph protested, looking around at his brothers and friend.

"Oh, don't worry – Leo's already taken care of that," Hitomi smirked at him. "For someone who's supposed to be the fastest person on Earth, getting a black eye is its own insult."

"Because he should've dodged it!" Mikey realized with a huge grin.

"Exactly. Once the other boys from the Brotherhood see that… the _real_ revenge will commence! Oh, he will be teased unmercifully for that eye!" Hitomi snickered.

"I don't know if that's enough of a punishment for what he said," Raph scowled. "But I guess it'll hafta do…"

"We probably don't need to encourage Pietro to come after us… just yet, anyway," Leo commented, shrugging at the last bit. "I doubt we'll hear the end of this so soon, not with _our_ luck."

"Heh… turtle luck running true to form, eh, Leo?" Raph snickered at that.

"Do we still _call_ it turtle luck if we're not turtles anymore?" Mikey wondered, unusually serious and sober.

"I don't think we'll _ever_ really stop thinking of ourselves as turtles, Mikey," Leo responded seriously in return. "We've spent most of our _lives_ as turtles. No matter what happens to us, what we can and can't do in the future, I think we'll _always_ think of ourselves as turtles."

"It's a lot like the old saying," Don commented softly. "'The more things change, the more things stay the same.'"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I really don't have much to say about this chapter, other than I'm glad I can finally get it up for everyone! I know I could've continued this a little longer, but it seemed very appropriate to end this chapter where I did. Besides, the conversation wouldn't have gotten any more interesting after this point. And I know that there wasn't much action here, just one punch, but that was all I had planned. The real battles are coming, although how soon I couldn't tell you. It takes a lot to adjust to from where they were to where they are now, and where they're going to be. It doesn't seem right to just snap my fingers and say 'done!' It seems more natural to me to show their adjustment, showing the details of several points in their transition and adjusting process.

That said, I _am_ planning on getting this moving a little faster now. We'll be moving quicker, and soon come upon the X-men: Evolution episode entitled 'On Angel's Wings.' After that - MID-TERM EXAMS! ^_^ My goal is to start working on the next chapter right now, and hopefully update within the next month. Cross your fingers!

Reviews are always welcome and appreciated!

**~Star~**


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